Expectation
by dreemseeker
Summary: Ranger is back from another mission in time to help Stephanie solve a mystery. One that threatens to be a matter of life and death. R/S. Established Characters. O/C. Babe Hea.
1. Chapter 1

All standard disclaimers apply.

. .

"Expectation is the root of all heartache." – William Shakespeare

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Chapter 1

August in New Jersey was never all that pleasant. Sweltering heat hovered over every surface of the city leaving its occupants dripping with sweat. Sitting in a sauna would have felt better than walking the streets of Trenton. Even the haze of smog could not block out the glare of the high summer sun. Stephanie Plum slide into her car, cursing when her legs met the scorching heat of the seat. Oh yes, she was so done for the day.

Sweat trickled down her back, pooled between her breasts and glistened on her face. This summer heat had been unrelenting for weeks now and, of course, the air conditioning in her car had broken long ago leaving her in a foul mood.

After a miserable day of work, all she had wanted was a few quiet hours to herself. Her battered car was pointed in the direction of home when her cell phone started buzzing. Glancing at the caller ID, Stephanie groaned. A chat with her mother was seriously not what she needed right now, but she dutifully answered, putting the call on speaker.

After hearing only a few words, Stephanie wished she had turned off her phone completely when she had had the chance. Gossip from the burg was the last thing she wanted to hear anytime, but especially not right now. She groaned, shaking her head. Whether or not she wanted it, she was now getting a full dose from her mother.

Several times Stephanie tried to interrupt, but it did no good, Helen Plum was on a roll and there was no stopping her. If this call didn't end soon, Stephanie knew she was going to have to resort to doing something drastic. She really did try to wait as long as she could, but after a few more minutes Stephanie just couldn't stomach it any longer and with the worst burg manners ever, she hit the end button, disconnecting the call.

A flash of guilt heated her face. That was truly rude and she knew that she would be hearing about it soon. As if on cue, the phone buzzed again. Stephanie glanced at the ID on the screen. "Mom," she groaned. She hadn't expected it this quick and she was tempted to decline the call. Instead, she decided to end the whole discussion once and for all.

Stephanie tightened her grip on the phone, her thumb touched the button to answer the call. She did not put the phone up to her ear, she did not put it on speaker, and she did not listen as her mother started reprimanding her. That was not going to happen, not this time.

Holding the phone directly in front of her mouth now, Stephanie tried once more to stop her mother's tirade. "No," she shouted. "I never said that." Her mother was still talking, not acknowledging Stephanie's words at all. "Unbelievable!" Stephanie muttered in frustration.

"Stephanie!" her mother's annoyed voice projected even without being on speaker. "You need to be thinking seriously about what you should do." Suddenly Stephanie was aware of the traffic around her and she winced. No AC meant that through the open windows, everyone now stopped at the red light with her could hear most of the argument that she was having with her mother.

She could not help but be a bit embarrassed by that and she tried to offer an apologetic smile at the faces turned her way. "Yeah," Stephanie thought, when it was her mother involved, things could always get worse. Closing her eyes she tried to calm everything down with deep, cleansing breath.

Her brief zen moment aside, Stephanie knew that none of this was going away anytime soon, she had already seen it on the nearby faces. The Chambersburg grapevine was probably on fire with the latest gossip and with what had just been overheard. No doubt more tidbits were about to be added to the growing tales.

As soon as the light turned, Stephanie sped away -well, as fast as her car would take her- in a futile effort to try to get to away from all of the prying eyes and ears. Unfortunately, hanging up on her mother again would only cause more problems. Stephanie knew that as far as her mother was concerned, this conversation was not over, not in the least, so she continued to lecture her.

Stephanie pulled over to the side of the road, with how upset she was getting now she didn't trust herself to drive safely in this state of mind. Her eyes were clenched shut and Stephanie waited until Helen had to take a breath and then she quickly spoke up.

"Mom, she said, her voice much quieter now as she stared at the phone in her hand. "I don't care what Mrs. Murchitski heard, it wasn't me."

While Stephanie rolled her eyes, Helen Plum informed her daughter that it was not only Mrs. Murchitski that had shared this information with her, countless other friends and members of the burg had called to tell her the same thing. Everyone knew it, so it must be true. Right!

Stephanie could barely contain the anger burning deep in her chest. Morelli again, it was always Joe making her life a living hell. He was up to his old tricks again, and it was pissing Stephanie off. How dare he spread rumors that she had come crawling back to him, again, begging him to marry her.

As if! Could the man not get it through his head that she was done with him? What Stephanie could never understand was why he kept it up month after month. What good would it really do him to make up these lies?

She sat there in the heat, sweating, her head pounding. Wild ideas raced through her mind. If she thought it would help, she would borrow big blue and run him over again, hopefully breaking both if his legs this time. But no, Joe was not just an asshole like he had been before, now he had an important job and Stephanie was not interested in the mess she would get herself into for assaulting a police officer.

"I am not marrying Joe!" Stephanie shouted, no more calm, quiet words. She needed her mom to hear that, and she did not care how many other people within earshot heard it too. "There is no way that I would ever marry him, you know that."

That was the honest truth. No matter what Joe wanted to think, no matter what he may have said to his mother or his grandmother, or anyone else, they had not been together for nearly eight months now, and there was no way in hell that she would be in a relationship with him ever again.

In frustration, Stephanie rested her forehead on the steering wheel. Her mother would not stop. Unbelievably, she was trying to make her daughter understand that she may have made the biggest mistake of her life by leaving behind the attention of such a 'nice, respectable young man from the burg.' Funny how her parents had played a much different tune about Joe Morelli when she was younger.

"Stephanie," Helen Plum said with force. "Joseph Morelli is still considering marrying you." This statement was supposed to have been enough to get the message across, but she did not leave it at that since obviously her headstrong daughter was just not getting it. "Why on earth would you turn that down, this is the kind of thing that the other girls can only dream about."

That was enough. This was not the first time Stephanie had heard all of this from her mother, probably it would not be the last. No one, especially not her mother, wanted to understand that she had left Joe because he was not what she could live with for the rest of her life. How could she live with herself if she settled for someone who she would never be enough for and who could never make her happy?

Point of fact was that Stephanie had come to understand that there had really only been one man who she had wanted to be with. Ranger. Now, he was a man who could make her very happy. Another sigh escaped her lips. She missed him so much. He had been out in the wind again, since practically the moment that she had dumped Morelli.

All she had wanted to do for months now was to see Ranger. Just this morning, Stephanie had heard that he was back. That Connie had seemed to know more about it than she did had actually hurt a lot. A sting in her heart that she had been trying to deal with all day now.

Rationally, Stephanie had to admit that it was her own fault. It had been her own decision that had kept her out of the loop for so long. She no longer worked in the RangeMan building, quitting her job because it had not felt right to be working at his company when Ranger was not there.

With every day that had passed, Stephanie had agonized over that decision. If she had stayed she may have been getting pretty regular updates on Ranger's whereabouts. Only she knew that could be every bit as bad as not knowing anything at all.

Stephanie had hoped that she would hear from Ranger himself when he got back home. A call from him would have done wonders for her worried mind and anxious heart. Nothing was working out the way she wanted lately, and now she had to deal with all of this garbage with Joe. Well, there was one thing that she could control, maybe the only thing.

Stephanie sat up, her back stiff and straight. The grip she had on her phone had turned her knuckles white. Her voice was now icy cold as she spoke slowly and deliberately so there would be no chance that she would be misunderstood.

"Stop it right now, mother!" Stephanie said. "I don't want to hear any more about Joe Morelli and what he may or may not have said. It does not matter. It is done, over, finito! You have heard that from me many times, so you need to believe me and move on."

Without another word, Stephanie ended the call and tossed her phone on the passenger seat. Whew! She knew that she was risking another angry call, but she would deal with it. She always did, after all, if it wasn't one thing it was another with her mom.

There was not much she could do about the rumors, she knew that too. You would think that the people in the burg would be so tired of gossiping about her. If only that could be true. For some unknown reason, everyone seemed to be overly interested in her love life and any of the job mishaps that happened all too often.

Pulling back into traffic, Stephanie tried to tamp down the turmoil of emotions attacking her gut. To think that until the call from her mother, Stephanie had been headed home to sit in front of the fan in her window, sipping iced tea and reading the novel that Connie had given her last week. A few minutes of downtime had sounded heavenly. She still needed to relax, even more than before. Now Stephanie hoped that she could calm down enough to salvage some of the relaxing she had hoped for.

Still trying to control her anger, Stephanie found a place to park and headed into her building. On automatic pilot, she stepped into the elevator, pushed the button. Leaning her head back against the wall, Stephanie closed her eyes. She was tired and sweaty and thirsty and so unsettled. Huge questions loomed in front of her, the weight of them pressing in on her.

Her relationship with Joe had not ended in the best way, she was willing to admit that now. One morning she had just had enough and had told him as much. And then she had walked away. It had come down to this; if she had to choose, she wanted whatever non-relationship that she could have with Ranger more than the stifling life that Joe had to offer.

It had been as simple as that for Stephanie, but not so much for Joe. There was no way that she could ever explain it to him, so she had not even tried. It would only have made him angry if she had mentioned Ranger anyway.

Being the dumpee instead of the dumpor of the relationship had not set well with Joe. Stephanie had no doubt that this, in and of itself, was enough of a reason to make him act the way he was, but really hadn't he had enough of this yet? Eyes still closed, a heavy sigh escaped her lips. Why couldn't it all just go away already?

Her stomach felt the last lift and fall of the elevator stopping. Opening her eyes as the doors noisily slid apart, Stephanie went through the motions of walking to her door and unlocking it with her key. Closing it behind her, she locked the door and turned, staring unseeing into the living room.

Slowly she moved in and, as if she could not stand the feeling for one second more, started to peel off her damp clothes. She kicked off her shoes as she walked, her shirt and pants were left in a pile next to the couch where she sank down wearily.

Sitting there, motionless in nothing more than her underwear, Stephanie wanted to do nothing, think nothing for a long while. But her mind wouldn't stop running through the events of the day. Losing another skip, melting in the oppressive heat, arguing with her mother. It was like a recording that never stopped. Until finally, with jarring clarity, her brain caught up and replayed the moment when she had just walked from the elevator into her apartment.

The fog in her head cleared and in her mind's eye she saw the box that had been sitting next to her door. Jumping up, Stephanie ran to the door, putting her eye up to the peephole, hoping that she could see what was out there without opening the door. Of course, she could not see the floor through the tiny round hole, as she had known she wouldn't, but that did not stop her from lifting up on her tiptoes to try.

No use, Stephanie leaned her forehead against the door, closing her eyes as she tried to calm the nerves flying wild in her stomach. Fear. Or Dread. She could not say which one was the worst feeling at the moment. Confusion played a big role too. Could she have been so wrapped up in her personal misery that she did not notice a mysterious package sitting there right next to her door when she had stepped off of the elevator?

Oh, this was not good. Stephanie took a deep breath as she stepped back. Slowly her hand grasped the doorknob and turned it. She hesitated now. Either she was crazy or she could be in serious trouble. Neither option had ever particularly appealed to her. Unaware that she was now holding her breath, Stephanie slowly opened the door.

Peering through the narrow opening that she had allowed, Stephanie could see the box. It really was there. Great, at least she knew that she was not going crazy. Her breath came out in a rush, "No, I am not completely crazy," she told herself with relief. Brown paper covered the box that was big enough to fit a basketball. How had she missed that?

Still only allowing the door to be opened just a sliver, she bent down to get a closer look and to take this chance to further study whatever she could about the package. Stephanie looked at the colorful stamps scattered in one corner, but she could not tell if they were from here or another country. The label in the center had her name on it, but there was no return address. No other information on it at all, save for the word FRAGILE stamped boldly in red ink.

After one more moment staring at the box, Stephanie straightened and quickly slammed the door closed, as if she could make it go away by not seeing it anymore. Those nerves in her stomach were now moving up her chest into her throat. Backing away from the door, she was finding it hard to breathe. She wished with all her heart that it had all been in her imagination.

Suddenly, being crazy enough to imagine things felt safer. Certainly, it was much better than the real-life scenario that she now faced. Surprises on her doorstep had never turned out to be good news for her in the past, and she had no idea what to expect now.

When her legs hit the couch behind her Stephanie froze. Realization hit hard. She was trapped in her apartment. It might have been a stroke of luck that nothing had happened the first time she had passed by the box. Stephanie was sure that she wouldn't take a chance by trying it again.

One clear thought had emerged in her mind. She did not have to wonder what she wanted to do. Call Ranger! Without hesitation, Stephanie grabbed her phone and dialed the number of the one person that she had always trusted to know what to do. Her mind was racing as fast as her heart. Was he back in town like Connie had said? If he was, would he want to answer her call?

Her whole world stopped as she waited to see what was going to happen. Those split seconds felt like an eternity, her mind playing through every possible scenario. Stephanie imagined all of the negative outcomes in excruciating detail. "Breathe, Steph," she whispered.

"Babe?" Much to her surprise, and her relief, Ranger answered the call immediately. It was so good to hear him, and it wasn't until that second that Stephanie realized that she would have died if he had not taken her call. It had been months since they had talked, too long since she had heard his voice. Oh my, what he could do to her with just the sound of that sexy voice. Every cell in her body responded to it. To him. Tingles zipped up her spine, settling in at the back of her neck. It had been so long, she sighed. Too long!

She had been waiting all this time to tell Ranger how she felt about him. All the while worried that so much time had passed that it was possible he no longer had any interest in her. Stephanie was being distracted by these swirling thoughts, for the smallest of moments, and then the purpose of the call came back into focus and fear took over again, hitting hard. A sheen of sweat, that had nothing to do with the weather, broke out all over her body.

"Ranger," Stephanie was barely able to force herself to say the single word. "Uh," she stammered, upset with herself for sounding so stupid. "Welcome home," Stephanie finally said, feeling like a stupid school girl talking to her crush. She pulled in a gulp of air before trying to say anything more.

"It... there is... uh," she tried again to speak, swallowing down the fear that had nearly overtaken her moments before. "Um, a box is by my door," she said haltingly. "I don't know what it is..."

Ranger could hear the terror in her voice that he knew she wanted so badly to hide from him. Out of her halting words, Ranger put together a picture of what was happening. This was Stephanie, after all, and unexpected bad things seemed to find her. Nothing good had ever come from anonymous packages showing up at her apartment and he felt the urgency that she actually seemed reluctant to share.

With every fiber of his body, he was glad that Stephanie had come to him for help. Suddenly he realized how relieved he was to know that she still thought of him, trusted him. Well, he was not going to let her down. His protective instincts kicked in immediately.

"Get as far from the door as you can," Ranger told her. "I'm on my way."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Tank raised an eyebrow at hearing Ranger's one-sided conversation. "Steph in trouble?" Tank asked. It had been easy to come to that conclusion from what he had heard and Ranger's short nod let him know he had guessed right.

With that confirmation, Tank felt the familiar sick feeling deep in his gut. It had been hard on all of the men at RangeMan not having Stephanie here where they could see her every day and know that she was okay. Hearing about her mishaps after the fact had been driving them crazy. Tank, for one, was glad that Ranger was home. Now he just hoped that his friend would do the right thing and get Stephanie back in his life. Into all of their lives again. It would make things better for everyone.

"Get Hector," Ranger said as he stood and walked out of the office.

Tank pulled his phone from his pocket as he watched Ranger leave. He dialed a number and waited for the connection. Now he began to really worry. Bringing in Hector could mean several things, most of which included explosions. This was not good.

"We need you," Tank's voice, low and authoritative, delivered the message words did not need to. "Garage now."

Within minutes, Ranger was on his way. Tank and Hector rode along silently. Each man looked forward, faces blank, deep in their zones. No amount of speculation would be helpful now, so there was no discussion. They would arrive prepared to assess the situation and then act accordingly.

Truth be told, Ranger was anything but calm as they rapidly made their way to Stephanie's apartment. His mind was busy sorting through any information he might have heard that could indicate someone was after Stephanie. Unfortunately, he hadn't been home all that long, and he did not come up with anything that would help.

Nothing seemed amiss as they pulled into the parking lot and looked up at her window. If anything, it was too quiet as they parked and ran up the stairs. Hector stopped Ranger at the door of the second-floor landing. He shook his head, his hand firmly gripped on the doorknob.

"I go first," Hector whispered. Ranger barely hesitated before nodding and backing up half a step to allow Hector to pass by him. It rankled that he could not rush to Stephanie's side, but he had brought the expert with him for a reason and now he needed to let Hector do his job.

Slowly the men emerged from the stairwell, Hector in the lead, already at work. Ranger watched as he sniffed the air, and crouched low. Hector looked at the box from every angle that he could before taking a small handheld device from a pocket in his cargo pants. Silently, Hector studied the numbers on the small screen, adjusting some dials and looking again.

Ranger's patience was wearing thin, Stephanie was on the other side of that door, and all he wanted to do was go in and wrap his arms around her to keep her safe. It had been far too long since he had been able to see her, touch her.

If it had been up to him, he would have made a beeline to her the moment he had stepped off of the plane, but coming back from these secret assignments was a process, one that was out of his control and that took much too long to complete. Ranger had had a lot of time to think during his last mission. He had come to a decision that he wanted to talk to Stephanie about.

Now one of his worst fears seemed to be coming true. Ranger was disappointed, but not actually all that surprised that something like this had come up before he had had his chance to talk to Stephanie. Timing had not seemed to be on their side, not from the beginning of their unorthodox relationship.

Tank, sensing the growing tension in his friend, placed his hand on Ranger's arm. A sign of support and a signal to keep it calm. Ranger once again nodded with a short jerk of his head. He concentrated on Hector who was now running his fingers along the sides of the box. "

"Bien," Hector said, standing and pointing to the package with a smile. "No explosivos." Without another word, Hector surprised both Ranger and Tank when he snatched the box from the floor. "Let's go," he said.

Ranger opened the door to Stephanie's apartment and all three men walked in to find the front room empty. Rex poked his head out of the soup can in the aquarium, hopeful that someone had a treat to offer him, but when nothing appeared, he pulled back into his hiding place. Ranger glanced at the little hamster, Stephanie would be hiding too. In the bedroom, he thought, it was as far away from the front door as she could get. So he headed in that direction.

Hector and Tank walked into the kitchen. The box now sat in the middle of the table, Hector could barely contain his curiosity about what was inside. He emptied his pockets, systematically placing an array of tools on the table. His fingers itched to get to work, but he knew he had better wait for the boss.

From her hiding place, Stephanie heard the front door open. No keys had been needed to get into her place, no matter that she was absolutely certain that the door had been securely locked. She rolled her eyes, it was one of the things that Ranger had constantly warned her about. Of course, she knew that it wouldn't have mattered how much security there had been, Ranger never let anything get in his way

Any moment now she was going to see Ranger. Her heart raced and it seemed harder than ever to take a decent breath. Excitement had definitely taken over her fear and she started to uncurl her legs so that she could stand up. Now in some dry clothes, Stephanie unconsciously smoothed the front of her shorts and tugged her t-shirt into place.

Ranger pushed the door open. The instant his eyes scanned the room his heart began pounding harder in his chest, finally, he was going to see Stephanie, after all this time. He couldn't wait, his arms ached to hold her, but more than anything else, he needed to know that she was okay.

And there she was, taking cover behind the chair in the corner of the room. Ranger could see the mass of uncontrollable curls sticking out to one side. A smile lifted the corner of his mouth. He could hear her stuttered breathing now too and was finally able to take a breath of relief himself.

"Babe." It was the only word he was able to say, the only one she needed to hear.

Stephanie stood, bracing her hands on the back of the chair. "Ranger!" Seeing him here took her breath away again and the word was barely audible. It had been too long since she had been in the same room with him and the sensations that she had dreamed of every night for months now nearly overwhelmed her.

For what seemed like another eternity, Stephanie stared at the man that she had missed so desperately. Months of waiting, wishing, hoping had left her more than a bit lost. Since the day she had dumped Morelli, her thoughts had only been about Ranger. All she had wanted to do was find him, talk to him, touch him. Memories of his stolen kisses always filled her heart with desire.

As it had always seemed, her timing had been off, again. Another one of his secret covert missions had taken Ranger away from her. If Connie was right Ranger had been back for a few days now, but Stephanie had not seen him. A big part of her was confused and bothered by that and it allowed her to worry and imagine all of the worst things. She had even let herself start to believe that he would not want to see her.

Being afraid that Ranger would not want to come help her today had crossed her mind, but there was no one else she had wanted to call but him. Now here he was and she knew it had been the right thing to do. The only thing.

"Ranger," she said his name again. Stephanie did not know if she had actually been able to make her legs move, or if Ranger had come to her, but suddenly she was wrapped in his arms and nothing had ever felt so perfect. Time melted away and she had no idea how long she clung to him, reveling in the feeling of his body so close to hers, of his strength that he so freely shared with her.

The reason he was here finally seeped into her brain and Stephanie reluctantly pulled back. "The box," she began, but Ranger just placed his fingers tenderly over her mouth. Her heart expanded, nearly bursting with the love she had been holding inside for so long. She could feel some tears coming and even though they were tears of pure joy she blinked quickly to keep them at bay. This was not the time that she wanted to get all mushy on him.

"No explosives," he said, relief about that heavy in his voice. At hearing that emotion, her heart took another little jump. She was elated to know that he had been worried about her and that nearly made her lose her little battle with those tears. Finally, something in her life felt right and so good.

"Hector is here to find out what is in the package," Ranger said as he looked toward the door. Her eyes followed his. She should have thought about that, of course, he would have brought reinforcements with him. Stephanie understood why he would want to do that but it did not stop her from feeling a bit disappointed that they were not alone. Ranger seemed as unwilling to end this moment as she had been, but finally, he stepped away. "We should go see what they found."

They. Stephanie's heart sank even lower knowing that there were more people here than she had realized. Again she reminded herself that it was logical, reasonable even that Ranger had not come to investigate this potentially dangerous situation by himself, he had always believed in being prepared.

She followed Ranger into the other room. Something changed as they walked into the kitchen. Stephanie suddenly felt Ranger become distant. It confused her. She had been in his arms only moments ago and now he was all serious and aloof as they approached the table.

"What have we got then?" he asked Hector. And that was it. All attention was now on the stupid box and Stephanie had no other recourse than to switch gears too. But the hurt that she felt stabbed deep in her heart and she couldn't help but wonder if the explosion, that she had feared, would have actually felt a lot better than this.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ranger took his place at the kitchen table next to Tank, his friend glanced over and noticed that Ranger had his blank face on. If Tank had ever been prone to rolling his eyes, this would have been a perfect time to do it. So this was the way Ranger was going to play it then, he mused, all business-like and cool. The man was an idiot. Tank knew that Ranger had feelings for Stephanie. He could see it, had seen it for years. Why was it so hard for Ranger to just let go of all the past excuses and let her know that he wanted her in his life?

Jabbing a sharp elbow to his ribs, Tank got Ranger's attention. When their eyes met, Tank motioned toward Stephanie who was now standing on the opposite side of the table. She was looking down, her shoulders hunched over and her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. She looked miserable and so sad. Tank had no intention of letting Ranger get away with whatever this game was that he was playing.

Ranger answered the inquiry with a single sharp shake of his head. This was not the time or place to get into it. Besides, how would he ever be able to explain it to Tank when he was still trying to sort out all of the emotions pounding away inside of him.

Folding his arms over his chest, Ranger looked at Hector and indicated that it was time to get to the business at hand. Hector answered with a nod of his own. Ranger looked down at the box, giving the appearance that he was studying it intently. But the reality was his interest in this package was waning. He was just glad that it was not dangerous, that was all that mattered to him. So he watched, the silence in the room growing more and more uncomfortable.

Stephanie held her breath as Hector picked up his box-cutter and precisely cut off the top of the box. Lifting the cardboard away, he bent to take a look inside. Everyone watched in silence. Hector's forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"No," Hector confirmed. "No explosives in here." His voice was tight with enough lilt in it as if to say 'I told you so' without gloating about it. He reached his hand into the box. "Why does someone leave a box of junk at your door?" He asked no one in particular, not even looking up as he pulled out an old battered notepad and dropped it on the table.

Curious, Tank took over, sliding the box across the table to see for himself what the package contained. Junk? It did not make sense, but that is exactly what it looked like. One by one he began to pull out the other items placing them in the center of the table.

A toxic mix of emotions became trapped in Stephanie's chest. She had been holding back, not wanting to get anywhere near the mystery box. Now that she knew that it was not going to explode, however, that particular fear had dissolved. Unfortunately, confusion about the contents of the box had mixed with the disappointment of Ranger's actions and had left her with a horrible dread that something was still going to go terribly wrong.

Well, actually, it was wrong, all wrong. Stephanie had imagined this moment very differently. She was supposed to be standing here with Ranger's arms wrapped around her waist, secure and protective. She had missed him so badly and being close to him after so long was the only thing that she had dreamed of.

Concentrating on the contents of the box had become impossible. Questions that she had no answers to swirled around inside of her head. Why was everything completely messed up? What had happened to the man who she had been with, in the bedroom, just a few minutes ago?

Desperately trying to breathe normally, she forced herself to examine what now littered the table. Junk, she agreed, just like Hector had said. The ragged notebook that he had taken out first was now partially buried under more fading papers and a bunch of old stuff. What the heck? Stephanie stared at it, wondering why there was something familiar about it all.

Tilting her head to one side, she peered at the table, wondering, willing herself to remember. Her brows drew together in confusion. What was it, she wondered, that was prickling at her memory. Recognition, when it hit her, was a sickening punch to her gut. Stephanie knew where she had seen something like this before. Oh, this was bad. Her back stiffened, anger burned in her chest and the heat of embarrassment bloomed on her cheeks.

"Oh no," she moaned. Stephanie leaned forward supported by her arms as she braced them on the edge of the table. She tried to draw air into her lungs, but she could barely breathe now. She was rapidly losing the battle to fight the sudden weakness that spread over her, draining her muscles.

Why hadn't she even considered this possibility? Her head dropped and her hair fell forward, a veil to hide her shame. Yeah, she felt stupid for having overreacted so quickly and letting her imagination come up with the awful scenario that it had. But that was not the worst of it. She had brought Ranger into it too. And Tank and Hector. Just great. She had an audience for her next most embarrassing moment. How was she going to explain this now?

Before her legs completely gave out on her, Stephanie dropped down into a chair and stared at the mess on the table. Her whole body broke out in a nervous sweat. The oppressive silence in the room made it even worse, everyone was waiting for her to say something.

"Mary Lou loves mysteries," she finally said, her anguished voice barely more than a whisper. Stephanie was looking down at her hands tightly clasped in her lap and she missed the confused looks of the men standing over her. "For her birthday, her husband Lenny found the best gift ever," she continued. "A mystery to solve."

At Ranger's signal, the men all sat down at the table waiting for Stephanie to fill in the details of the story she obviously had to tell them now. By the way that she was acting, they knew it might take a while. The uncomfortable tension filling the room made everyone more than a little bit uneasy.

Stephanie felt it down to her bones, and it only made it that much harder to finish what she had to say. There was no getting around it though, so she raised her head catching Tank's eye. He just nodded, offering a small smile of encouragement. She swallowed down the thick feeling that had risen in her throat and tried again to speak.

"I was there, at Mary Lou's house the day it came in the mail," Stephanie said. Slowly she began to tell the story, tentative at first, but she started picking up steam as the details started to flow. She remembered it all so well now and was even more annoyed than before that this had not occurred to her earlier.

"She was so excited, I think the anticipation of waiting for it had been as much fun for her as opening the box was." Stephanie spread her hands over the table, a gesture to compare the two packages and their contents.

"Oh my gosh, there were so many cool things," her voice sounding more animated now. "A wooden box with fancy lettering burned into it, old letters and a journal, a medallion with ancient writing on it, and there were even clues hidden in the crossword puzzle that was from an old newspaper.

"Mary Lou started trying to solve the mystery the moment she opened the box, it took her a week to figure it all out, and she had so much fun!" Stephanie's voice faltered with those last words. The memory of her friend's experience faded into the past again.

"I should have known," Stephanie said quietly. "Shouldn't it have been so obvious what it was?" she asked, looking up and staring right into Ranger's eyes this time. Not knowing what she saw in his expression, Stephanie could only think of ending this embarrassing episode. Now. And as painlessly as possible.

With nervous energy, she practically jumped up out of her chair and headed for the front door. "It was so nice of you to come check it out for me," she was saying over her shoulder. "I'm so sorry to have bothered you about it." Her eyes avoided looking directly at any of them now, especially Ranger. "But as you can see, I'm safe, no immediate danger in store for the stupid bombshell bounty hunter here today."

The attempt to lighten the moment with her words fell flat. So she watched the men file out of the door in silence. When Ranger passed by her, she dropped her gaze to the floor. How could she look at him? How could she face him ever again? What was he thinking about her now? Had she just proven to him, again, that she always needed some kind of rescuing because she was so inept?

Emotions that she could barely contain left her confused and wounded. Over and over her mind replayed the few minutes that she and Ranger had been alone when he found her in the bedroom. He had seemed eager to hold her then, could his actions only have been relief that she had not blown anything up yet?

Her heart told her that it had to be more than that. His fingers had been so tender and understanding when he had placed them on her lips. His eyes said things that words never could. Had she imagined the whole thing?

No, she told herself firmly, she couldn't have. But she had no idea how it was possible for Ranger to turn off his emotions so quickly, so completely. The tear in her heart ripped open a bit more. She slowly pushed the door closed, lingering for just a moment at the sound of the stairwell door opening and closing.

Ranger was gone. A new wave of pain hit her deep inside. For the second time today Stephanie found herself slumping onto the couch. After all these months of missing Ranger, seeing him again had stirred up so many feelings.

Confused and hurt she sat there wishing that she could go numb for a while. Whatever she thought had been happening when Ranger had first arrived was now a distant dream. One she would agonize over for the rest of her life.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Leaving Stephanie's apartment so abruptly had raised too many questions in Ranger's mind. Once outside the door, he had hesitated, his steps slowing. The moment of indecisiveness passed quickly enough, however, that the other men did not notice. Hector and Tank were joking with each other as they descended the stairs, but it was clear they were relieved that there had been no real danger here.

They were wrong, Ranger thought. This brief visit had had all the elements of being one of the most important moments of his entire life. And he had blown it. Now he was in danger of losing everything that he had discovered he wanted. That he needed. With every step that took him farther and farther away from Stephanie, Ranger tried to figure out what had made him act so stupid with her just now and, more importantly, what he could do to make things right.

He had to do something, and soon, but how could he face her? When he had arrived at her apartment, his first instinct, his overwhelming need had been to hold her. To feel her wildly beating heart against his chest, to know she was alive and safe.

His emotions had been so close to the surface in that moment and he had never felt so vulnerable, exposed. Instincts again, it seemed, had taken over then and put up a protective wall. Just a natural reflex, and one that had served him well so many times in the past. But not this time.

He knew that he had to undo the damage that his actions had caused tonight, only he was at a loss to know what he could do. He had messed up royally, but that was only part of the problem. Stephanie had been so embarrassed, he knew that her first inclination was going to be to hide from him. From all of them. His hopes to get her to come back to work at RangeMan with him seemed pretty much trashed now.

Could things have gone any worse, he wondered. An explosion would have been an easier thing to deal with. There had been no way of knowing just how many problems could arise with the arrival of that mystery package. Imagined worries had not even come close to the dire reality of the situation he now found himself in.

With the box back in the center of his thoughts, Ranger felt a cold chill fill his bones. So they knew what the package had in it, but who sent it? And why? Anyone who knew Stephanie would have realized that an unknown package sitting by her door would raise alarms. Ranger got the sinking feeling that this was not over, not by a long shot.

He had the drive back to RangeMan to think things over. Though he was far from having a clear idea of what needed to happen next to get Stephanie back into his life, what he was sure about was he needed to know who had sent the box that had started off this whole incident. After hearing the story about Stephanie's friend and the box she had been so excited about, Ranger knew that a call to Mary Lou should be first on that agenda. Ranger headed straight to his office, he would do that now, hoping that whatever Stephanie's best friend had to say would shed some light on the origin of her mystery box.

It was not hard to find the number for Stephanie's friend but clearing his mind to have a conversation with her took a few minutes. His hands trembled slightly as he punched in the phone number. Unknowingly Ranger held his breath, exhaling sharply when the call went straight to voicemail. He tried the number again. Same result. Ranger put the phone on the desk and stared at for a long minute. Frustration threatened to shatter his calm facade. Nothing cool or business like about him now. His hands clenched shut, opened, clenched again.

Finally, Ranger grabbed the phone again, this time leaving a message when his call to Mary Lou was again unanswered. It was not enough, not by a long shot. Fixing things with Stephanie meant finding a way to help her and waiting to get started on that was killing him.

With tremendous effort not to punch anything, Ranger moved around the desk and sat down in his favorite chair. In an effort to control his actions, he assumed a thinking position. Elbows resting on the arms of the chair, his fingers steepled in front of his face, he forced himself to push back the anxiety he felt. "Damn it!" he groaned. He could make it through months of life-threatening covert operations without breaking a sweat, but he couldn't be around Stephanie for ten minutes before his whole world went FUBAR?

. .

The moment the men had left, Stephanie lost the fight to hold back her tears. Not of joy like they would have been a few minutes ago. No these were tears of loss, humiliation, and she could not handle it all alone. It took her a few minutes, but she found her phone and quickly dialed Mary Lou.

Not only would her best friend understand what she was going through with her mixed emotions for Ranger, Mary Lou was the one person that Stephanie knew who could appreciate the box that had mysteriously appeared on her doorstep. Bottom line, Stephanie needed help and she hoped Mary Lou would have some time to spend with her this evening.

"Hey Steph," Mary Lou answered the call with enthusiasm. "What's up?" In the background, Stephanie could hear the chaos that was her friend's life with her boys.

"Oh, hi Mar, hope I haven't caught you at a bad time." Suddenly it occurred to Stephanie to look at the clock on her phone. Yep, talk about bad timing, she had called her friend at dinner time. There was no way they were going to have any time to talk now.

"You know what?" Stephanie said quickly. "I'll let you go, can you call me when you get a minute?"

The noise continued on Mary Lou's end adding to Stephanie's urgency to end the call. "Yeah, okay," her friend said. A beep indicated another call and Mary Lou glanced at the screen. Unknown number. She ignored it. She had heard the desperate tremor in Stephanie's voice and knew something was very wrong.

Mary Lou could only guess what it was all about. Ignoring another unknown caller she made a decision. Looking at her husband, pointedly, she said,"Tell you what, I'll come over when the kids are done here. Lenny can watch a movie with them tonight and we can talk." Lenny nodded and Mary Lou mouthed the words 'thank you' to him.

Stephanie hesitated, she really hated to mess up Mary Lou's evening no matter how much she had wanted to talk to her. "It's okay," she said. "We can find another time."

"Steph," Mary Lou said firmly, ignoring yet another unknown call "I'm coming over, give me half an hour, Okay?"

This time Stephanie did not hesitate to thank her. She really needed this, so she said goodbye and dropped back down on the couch. To wait, and to give herself time to think about everything that had happened today.

Mary Lou tapped her phone against her chin, thinking. All of the missed calls forgotten as she wondered what could be happening with her friend. Stephanie sounded really bad, like about to cry bad.

That did not happen often. Usually, Stephanie could laugh off her problems, trying to cover up how much they actually hurt her. Mary Lou had seen her through some tough times but not even when Stephanie had found Dickie in la flagrante dilecto had crying been her first reaction.

All she wanted was for Stephanie to be happy. The mama bear in her had Mary Lou vowing to attack whoever it was that had hurt her friend. True to her word, Mary Lou was knocking at Stephanie's door exactly thirty minutes later. When the door opened, Mary Lou came in and immediately pulled Stephanie into a big hug. Stephanie tried again to fight back tears that seemed to be coming all too readily today.

"Thanks for coming," she said softly.

Mary Lou gently led her over to the couch. As soon as they were both seated, she lifted her purse to her lap and took out a cheerful looking Tupperware container. "I'll bet you haven't eaten anything today, am I right?" she said. It wasn't a question. "So, we had more mac and cheese than the kids could eat," Mary Lou laughed. "And you know they can eat a lot when they want to," she said with a wink. "But the leftovers are all yours if you want them."

Stephanie took the bowl gratefully. It was true, she had not had a chance to eat before all the craziness had started this afternoon. "Thanks, Mar, you know me too well," she said, returning the smile, as sad as hers was.

As Stephanie slowly lifted the lid and took the first bite, Mary Lou sensed that her friend was going to need some time to gather her thoughts. Stephanie's voice had been filled with anguish when they had talked earlier, and emotional things always took a little time for her to sort out. Truthfully, with Stephanie's crazy life she could be upset about any number of things so Mary Lou decided to start the conversation with the one thing she had been aware of.

"Yeah. So, I heard all about how you are begging Joe to reconsider and marry you," she said with a laugh, thinking that the relentless burg gossip had finally gotten to her and that was what had her friend all upset tonight. "You gotta give him points for trying." She gave Stephanie another wink and rolled her eyes. "Ol' Joe has really kept this up for a long time. Thought he would've given it up by now."

Though it was far from funny, Stephanie couldn't help but laugh. Before the box, before Ranger, and before her mother's phone call, Joe had been the biggest pain that she had dealt with today. It did not surprise her one bit that Mary Lou had already heard all about it either.

"Seriously," Stephanie said with a smirk. Then her shoulders dropped and she looked down at the food in her hands. She placed bowl the on the coffee table and lifted her eyes to meet Mary Lou's. "I wish he was the worst thing that had happened to me today."

That got Mary Lou's attention. She leaned forward and grabbed Stephanie's arm. "What?" Shaking her head she stared at Stephanie. "What's going on Steph?"

Tears glistened in Stephanie's eyes again. She drew in a deep breath, exhaling slowly to control the urge to burst out crying. "Ranger's back," she said. "I saw him today."

"And this is a bad thing?" Mary Lou asked, peering more closely at her. "Steph?" Mary Lou was alarmed at the look on Stephanie's face. Since she had walked out on Joe all those months ago, Stephanie had been anxiously waiting for Ranger to come home. What could have happened to change that? Gently she urged her friend to share what was bothering her.

Revealing what had happened between her and Ranger today turned out to be more difficult than Stephanie had anticipated. Though it pained her, she did her best to explain everything. Describing all of the details to Mary Lou tore her heart apart all over again.

"And then he came in and just turned his attention to what was in the box," Stephanie said, "He hardly even looked at me again"

Mary Lou was indignant on behalf of her best friend and was about to say a few choice words about how she felt when the look on Stephanie's face changed all of a sudden. Wow, what was going on here? Trying to follow Stephanie's mood swings left her speechless.

The box! Stephanie gaped at Mary Lou. Oops, with all of her angst about Ranger, she had forgotten all about the stuff still scattered over the kitchen table. The conversation now took a sharp detour. Maybe she would come back to talking about Ranger later, but right now she had to know what Mary Lou thought about the package that had started this whole mess.

With the decision firmly made in her mind, Stephanie slowly smiled at Mary Lou, her eyes sparkling with a bit of mischief. Maybe it would ease her pain to focus on something else, so Stephanie stood and pulled Mary Lou up with her. "Would you like to take a look at the things that were in the box?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Stephanie had to hold her friend steady for a moment while Mary Lou processed what she had just said. Eyes wide, Mary Lou was clearly shocked. Obviously, she had not expected to be able to actually see anything from the mysterious package that had been delivered to Stephanie today. Mary Lou tightened her grip on Stephanie's hand.

"Wait, it's here?" Mary Lou gasped. "I thought that Ranger and his guys would have taken it all with them to examine it for clues or something."

"No, no," Stephanie answered quickly. "There was nothing explosive or dangerous, so they left it with me." Stephanie shrugged, once the guys had seemed so disappointed and bored with what they had discovered, she had not thought too much about the junk that they had found.

Judging by their reaction, Stephanie had figured that it probably wasn't important at all. All the same, she knew that given her overactive imagination and love of solving mysteries, Mary Lou would be curious to take a look.

And she was right, Mary Lou was now pulling Stephanie with her to the kitchen. Stephanie laughed, and when they were standing next to the table, she brought out her best Vanna White impression and gracefully waved her arm over the assortment of papers and items laid out before them.

"And here we have it," Stephanie said with her best TV announcer voice. "A box full of garbage just for you!"

She was having fun now so she kept up the act. "It can all be yours if the price is right!" Stephanie slapped her hand over her mouth, laughing. "Oh, did I mix up the game shows?"

Playfully hitting Stephanie's arm, Mary Lou turned her attention to the table. "Look at all of this!" she exclaimed. "This is just what I did when my box came," she said. "Remember, I had to dump the box out so that I could see all of it." Mary Lou started pushing stuff around, sifting through it with a discerning eye.

"What's this?" she asked, lifting up a long slender case and looking it over thoroughly. The weathered leather was cracked and peeling and the clasp was so rusted Mary Lou had a hard time prying it open. Once she had managed to lift the lid, she set it gently on the table. "Oh," the word slipped out breathlessly. "Will you take a look at this!"

Triumphantly lifting out a badly tarnished silver flute, Mary Lou held it up so they could both get a good look at it. After wiping the mouthpiece with her sleeve, she put it up to her lips and pretended that she knew how to blow into it. " _P_ _ffffffft."_ The raspy sound was not what she had expected.

Guessing that it was just too old to make music anymore, Mary Lou laughed and replaced the instrument, closing the lid, but not worrying about the fastening the damaged clasp. Already interested in something else, she picked up an old leather-bound book.

Mary Lou turned the book over and over in her hands for a few moments. The gold lettering of the title had been completely rubbed off and it was hard to read anything at all, just adding to the mystique. Mary Lou looked up at Stephanie _._ "Steph," her voice sounded almost reverent. "This is great!"

Smiling, Stephanie joined Mary Lou as she continued to push things around on the table, sifting through newspaper clippings, flyers, postcards, and photos. Everything seemed to be so random, and nothing, in particular, seemed to stand out to either of them. Mary Lou put the book down by the flute case. Her examination of the contents of the strange package only beginning.

Next, she picked up the page of a faded newspaper, her eyes wide with excitement. This was something that was similar to her own mystery box. She opened the paper and spread it out. Mary Lou searched for a crossword puzzle, but not finding one, she started reading the headlines. The expression on her face started to change.

Though Mary Lou did not say anything out loud, Stephanie stopped her own searching when she saw her friend's face. Stephanie could tell that something was very wrong. She watched as Mary Lou slapped the paper closed so that she could see the front page. Stephanie's worry increased when her friend snatched up a newspaper clipping here, and several sheets of paper there. But she became downright alarmed when the color drained from Mary Lou's face. Stephanie helplessly stared, watching as Mary Lou turned more and more pale with each thing that she picked up.

After a few minutes, Mary Lou sucked in a sharp breath and looked up at Stephanie. She put the papers down and leaned heavily on the table with one arm. Her voice was tight and thin when she next spoke. "This is not like the box I got, Steph," she said, nodding to the cluttered table. "These things are not all made up for a game." She grabbed the newspaper and handed it to Stephanie, pointing at the name of the publication. Stephanie couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"It's the Trenton Times, Steph," Mary Lou said finally. "This is not a puzzle, its real!"

Mary Lou straightened and with an increased determination she sifted through the remaining items from the box, her hands no more than a blur. She stopped when she found the old notebook. She looked it over carefully. Flipping slowly through the pages her breath hitched when a small folded piece of paper fell out. "Look at this!" she said holding it up to Stephanie.

Her friend's intrigue was contagious and Stephanie's interest in all of this suddenly grew with the prospect that it was somehow real. Or at the very least had the theme of being a mystery from her hometown. With fingers that were slightly shaking, Stephanie took the paper and gingerly opened the folds.

"It looks like a handwritten letter," she said, wonder softening her voice. Her forehead wrinkled in concentration as her eyes scanned the page.

"Well, what is it?" Mary Lou asked. "Can you read it, what does it say?"

Handing it back to Mary Lou, Stephanie took a step backward, her hands were clasped together and she held them tightly over her chest to rein in the renewed worry and the flash of real fear that suddenly seemed to wash over her. "You read it," she said. "I'm too nervous."

After a few quiet moments, Mary Lou lifted her head and gazed up at Stephanie. "The name on the bottom of the letter is the same as that music teacher we had in high school, do you remember?"

Dread dropped heavy to the bottom of her stomach and Stephanie sank into the nearest chair. "Are you talking about Mr. Phillips?" she asked, knowing full well what the answer would be. Nodding Mary Lou sat next to Stephanie.

"Yeah," she said. "I don't think that they ever found him." Mary Lou shifted uncomfortably. "He left school that day and no one ever saw him again."

"That was like over ten years ago," Stephanie said, her thoughts turning to her senior year in high school. Her own experience with Mr. Phillips was not a particularly pleasant memory. It wasn't only the fact that she had not been any good at reading music in his class that had her frowning. Mr. Phillips, she remembered all too clearly, played favorites with his students.

Every semester there were the kids that got away with everything, and the handful that got the brunt of his obvious loathing. Belonging to the latter group, Stephanie had hated that class and had not been all that upset when Mr. Phillips had gone missing. She and a few of her classmates may have even celebrated his departure a little bit.

She started to feel a little bit bad about that as she remembered the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, but there was nothing that she could do about it now. Stephanie covered her face with both of her hands. She had to think, to figure out what any of this meant. In the back of her mind, she could not help but wonder if this package had come to her for a reason.

Not an entirely comforting thought, because it would be up to her now to figure out what that reason was.

. .

Pacing in his dark apartment, Ranger knew there was a slim chance that he would get any sleep tonight. He was bone tired, but there was no way to make his brain shut down, not after all that had happened today. Images of Stephanie were running constantly through his mind, generating a deluge of mostly uncomfortable emotions that flooded over him.

Ranger may have chided himself for being a bit dramatic if he didn't absolutely know that what had happened with Stephanie today was entirely his fault. Stopping next to the window, he leaned against the dark glass, the smooth surface cool on his forehead. Yeah, he had messed things up with Stephanie but good. Now he needed to figure out how to undo the damage.

The thing is, he was trying to make things right, to do right by the woman he loved. His concern about the package was one of the first things on his mind. Ranger knew he would do anything to be sure that Stephanie was safe, even if it meant reaching out to Stephanie's best friend for as much input as he could from her.

All evening he had waited for a call from Mary Lou. It had never come, and now he had to concede that the message he left for her earlier would most likely not be answered until tomorrow, if at all. Talking to Mary Lou had been on the top of his list of what he needed to do, but not being able to was only one of the things that had Ranger so agitated at the moment. His gut told him that he had let Stephanie down today and that was the worst feeling he had ever had.

His top priority was to make that up to her. So he had his men working on finding all they could about Stephanie's mysterious box. They did not have a lot to go on, so making any headway was progressing so much slower than he had hoped. With another deep sigh, Ranger reluctantly acknowledged that not being quick enough to find out who could have sent the package wasn't the worst of the many fails of the day. His reaction to seeing Stephanie, after all of their time apart, rated right up there with the stupidest things that had he had ever done.

What in the hell had happened? He had to admit that his relief, at the confirmation that there had been no explosives involved in this episode, may have short-circuited his brain for a few minutes causing him to respond somewhat erratically. While that was not a very good excuse, it was a very real reason. Though Ranger had not quite told her this yet, Stephanie had come to mean everything to him. Knowing that her life could have been in danger again had shredded him up inside.

What an idiot he had been. Not that he would have changed his decision to pull her into his arms, holding her tight to see for himself that she was okay. He would do that over again a thousand times. In fact, he wanted to do it again now, but somehow he was not sure how she would receive a late night visit from him after the insane way he had acted today.

After all this time, after all of the years since he had known her, Ranger had finally come to the conclusion that he needed Stephanie in his life. They needed to have a long talk about that, and soon. Today had actually been all about that. What he had wanted to do was let her know that the ball was in her court. He knew what he wanted. The decision about their future was now up to her. Not that he wasn't prepared to fight for her. He was.

Would she choose to be with him after all of the stupid things that he had said to her over the years? Or after the ridiculous way he had behaved today. Hot one moment, cold the next just because he suddenly freaked out about what the reaction of his men might be. Again he reminded himself that he was the world's biggest idiot.

What was Stephanie thinking of him? The power to decide their future was hers, what would she do if she knew that? Ranger was desperate for the answer to that question. Not holding her close while Tank and Hector had been around had truly been his way of giving her that power. Unfortunately, without having had that specific conversation with her, there was no way she could have known that. And it had been all too obvious by the pain he had seen in her eyes that she had not understood his intentions at all.

All this pacing and thinking was getting him nowhere, and if there was no sleep to be had, Ranger figured that he might as well go down and try to get some work done. If he couldn't make any progress on this situation with Stephanie, there was a mountain of paperwork that he could get to.

Heart heavy, Ranger made his way to his office. The skeleton crew on duty tonight acknowledged his presence with tight nods as he walked by. That was normal actually, and it had worked in his favor more often than not. It did again tonight since he did not really want to stop and talk right now.

The hallway leading to his office was dark, but Ranger did not turn on any lights, he knew the way. Working in the dark was not unusual for him, he liked the privacy that it seemed to provide at times like these. His computer would give him all the light he wanted and all that he would need.

After a few minutes, the computer booted up and Ranger took a look at the home screen. Several programs were running, including the searches he had started himself into companies that offered mystery packages. He opened the first file and scanned the data that had been compiled. Once again, however, he felt that there was not enough information to go on, and the few clues that they had been able to find had not led them anywhere.

Leaning forward and bracing his arms against the desk, Ranger scrubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. Suddenly he was feeling completely drained. His mind was a world away when he heard the hum of his computer change slightly. The programs were still working. It took a few minutes before his eyes focused on the screen and discovered that it was not one of his own searches that had kicked the program into action.

Curious, he clicked the icon at the bottom of the page and watched as the summary of active programs opened up. He was aware of all of the activity listed, with the exception of one of the searches. The one that was compiling information even as he watched. Immediately Ranger glanced at the ID number of the person who had started the search, and for the first time in hours, a grin spread across his face.

No one had seen that user at work for nearly a year, not since Morelli had flexed his boyfriend muscles and demanded that Stephanie stop doing extra jobs at RangeMan. Heat flashed in his chest and on his face now at just the memory of how upset Stephanie had been about that. How she nearly cried when she had tried to make him understand that she didn't want to quit.

At the time Ranger had done the honorable thing and had encouraged Stephanie to make peace with the man who he thought would offer her what he never could. As his stomach clenched and churned, Ranger remembered how he had sent her back to Morelli. Again. He felt sick, swallowing down the bile that rose in his throat.

Of course, it had not worked anyway and Stephanie had eventually made her choice to leave Joe. Ranger could not express how relieved he had been about that. And then he had left. Another covert operation taking him away from her. Lost in his thoughts, for much longer than he realized, Ranger found himself blankly staring at the bright monitor.

Stephanie was working, doing a search. He wondered if she had been surprised that her password still worked. That actually made him chuckle. She was probably so nervous right now, worried about what would happen if he found her sneaking into his systems to find the answers she needed. His heart warmed in his chest, he had always admired her spunk, her raw determination.

How he wished he could tell her so right now. Preferably with his arms around her. All the air seeped out of his lungs. He felt deflated. Sitting alone in the dark wishing for something that might never be his.

With some effort, Ranger shook off these visions and concentrated on the search that Stephanie was running. Drawing his brows together in confusion, Ranger read the name out loud. "Jeffrey Phillips."

Who in the hell was Jeffrey Phillips?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A slight breeze passed through the open window and Stephanie closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of it as it cooled down her damp skin. The sun had gone down long ago, the day with its sweltering temperatures was finally over. The evening, however, had not proven to be much better yet. But Stephanie was not sure if it was the summer heat that made her feel flushed, or if it was the panic and guilt that she felt after accessing Ranger's search programs without asking anyone if it would be okay.

After Mary Lou had left Stephanie couldn't help but wonder about Mr. Phillips. Jeffrey. She had never known his first name. Heck, she had not known much of anything about her music teacher. Why would she? As far as she could remember, in high school, no one really knew anything personal about any of their teachers. Nor did they want to.

During the majority of the time that Mary Lou had been over tonight, Stephanie had vacillated between being surprised that they had found the box filled with so many things with Mr. Phillip's name, and scared to death about what it could mean that a package like this had come to her.

Although Mary Lou also seemed somewhat freaked out by what they had found, she had done her best to offer suggestions and help organize the stuff from the box. They had worked until nearly ten o'clock when they both realized how late it was getting to be.

With a promise to keep trying to figure out what all of this meant, Mary Lou had turned to Stephanie before she left. "You gonna be okay?" she asked, the worry she felt had been written all over her face encompassing all of what they had talked about tonight.

"Yeah," Stephanie had answered softly. "I guess I have a lot to think about." She shrugged and winked at her friend. As much as she had appreciated the obvious concern, Stephanie knew she was ready to be alone for a while. Having Mary Lou here to help had been exactly what she had needed, and she was grateful for her friend. But some of this thinking was going to have to be done alone. Seemed like that was what she was doing more and more of lately anyway. Thinking. Alone.

She left her perch by the window and paced around her apartment. All of this thinking was starting to get to her. It had taken a good hour or more of nervous sweating for her to get up the courage to put in her password for Ranger's search program. Her heart, it seems was still pounding from the stress of that decision. It had not been until the very instant that the command was accepted that Stephanie had believed that it would actually work for her after all this time. That was when the real worry had kicked in.

Impatient with her pacing, she found her way back over to the couch. Sitting here in the dark, Stephanie relived those tense moments of indecision. Rex had chosen that very moment to start his evening calisthenics. The little wheel in his cage, squeaking with each rotation, had broken the silence startling Stephanie out of her momentary stupor. When she had looked over at the cage her little furry friend twitched his whiskers at her. "Yep," she had thought. "Time to get busy Rex."

Stephanie had gazed at her computer for what seemed like forever. Even feeling the urgency of the situation, violating Ranger's privacy by using this program without his permission had Stephanie agonizing over her decision. Tentatively and very slowly, she had typed in the name. Jeffrey Phillips. Her finger had hovered over the enter key, no going back if she hit it. Sucking in a deep breath, Stephanie had tapped the key and held that breath until the search started.

Finally, she had been able to breathe again, and that moment of tension had eased somewhat. But that did not mean she felt fine with what she was doing. The glow from the computer screen spread far enough to show Stephanie wringing her hands as she waited and worried.

It was only a matter of time now before she would be able to see what information was out there on Mr. Phillips. She also knew it would not be long before Ranger saw what she was doing. No doubt they were going to have a big talk about that. Add it to the list of things that needed to be discussed, she thought. But she had no illusions that it was going to be an entirely pleasant conversation.

Tiny droplets of perspiration started forming on her forehead, but before they could drip into her eyes, Stephanie swiped her arm across her skin. She blinked a few times and continued concentrating on the words now scrolling down the screen. Her nerves were taking a toll on her now. With bloodshot and stinging eyes and the uncomfortable damp sweat over her whole body, she would push through it all because there was only one thing that she wanted right now.

Answers.

Time and patience were running at an all-time low for her. Stephanie wanted those answers right now, but that was not the way this worked. Compiling information was a time-consuming task, and she knew better than to hope that intently watching the screen would magically speed up the process. Admitting that she was so tired she might fall asleep anyway, even if she tried to wait it out, Stephanie forced herself to leave the program to do the search without her. She really had to try and get some sleep.

A quick shower helped to wash away the effects of the day, cooling her body, relaxing her tense muscles. Still, it was driving her crazy to wait and she couldn't help but check the search three or four more times before she finally flopped onto her bed and fell into a badly needed if fitful, slumber.

. .

The house was quiet when Mary Lou got home and she breathed a sigh of relief. The kids didn't always want to keep to their bedtime when daddy was in charge and depending on what movie they had ended up watching, they could have been too hyped up to sleep. All she knew was that she was glad that her husband had put the kids to bed so she was not going to have to deal with any of that right now.

Lenny came down the hall just then. His gaze held questions and she shook her head slightly. Walking into his waiting arms, she whispered. "I don't even know where to start." With a kiss to his cheek, Mary Lou pulled away. She dropped her purse on the couch and walked into the kitchen to leave the empty Tupperware in the sink. Then she grabbed his hand and headed to the bedroom.

Too many thoughts filled her head as they got ready for bed, but she did not say anything. It wasn't until they were in bed, with her head resting on his chest and his arm protectively wrapped around her shoulders, that Mary Lou began to tell Lenny about her visit with Stephanie.

In the dark Lenny silently listened, he was not surprised by the apparent worry and confusion that Stephanie was feeling about Ranger. From everything that he had been hearing, those two had been playing a twisted game of hide and seek for years. It was no wonder that trying to have a relationship after all of that was proving to be difficult now. Of course, he did not say any of this to his wife. He simply held her and let Mary Lou talk through whatever was bothering her.

Lenny kissed the top of her head, a simple sign of his attention and support. This was her way of working out the puzzles in her head. In the dark, a smile lifted the corners of his mouth, Mary Lou loved fixing problems. More than that, she could never resist a mystery to solve, and at the end of the day, that is exactly what she had with Stephanie's latest situation.

Probably it was just a nice bonus that Ranger had become involved. Lenny remembered back to the mystery package that he had bought for Mary Lou and couldn't help but recall the number of times Mary Lou had mentioned that she really could use the kind of resources that Stephanie always seemed to have at RangeMan.

Mary Lou began to wind down from her explanations, and again Lenny was not surprised to hear his wife wonder out-loud if Stephanie would be trying to tap into Ranger's programs to help her figure out what she needed to do about Mr. Phillips.

Fatigue finally overcame her curiosity and Mary Lou drifted off to sleep. Lenny followed not far behind, but not before some worries of his own caused him to make a few decisions. Though he would not share his concerns with Mary Lou just yet, he did remember something about Mr. Phillips that made him wonder about the mysterious package.

He would be doing his own bit of digging into this tomorrow too.

. .

As the night wore on, Ranger kept tabs on Stephanie's search. It did not take long for the program to end, the file closed after everything that was out there to find had been compiled. Ranger had glanced over the information a few times as it ran. When the program stopped, he went back and carefully read every word. At first, he was disappointed, and then he was confused. For a man who should be in his forties, there should have been a lot more to go on.

Something was off with Mr. Jeffrey Phillips. The picture that was forming, of this man that had disappeared twelve years ago, led Ranger to believe that something was very wrong. Stephanie's search clearly showed that big chunks of information were missing. One day he was a teacher at a high school, the next he was gone.

Missing was one thing, but after twelve years something should have been found. After a few articles in the local newspaper, however, there had not been a single mention of the guy ever again. Especially notable was the absence of an obituary.

That meant only one thing to Ranger. And if he was right, Stephanie was going to be so disappointed. He pictured her reaction when he told her what he thought might be going on. A smile almost tipped his lips as he realized that by having that conversation, Stephanie would realize that he had seen her unauthorized search. Her face would turn pink with the flush of embarrassment. He loved it when she got flustered.

The almost grin disappeared nearly as quickly as it had formed. Having any conversation at all with Stephanie meant that he was going to have to face the confusing way that he had reacted yesterday. He wasn't sure how he could explain all of that to her. The thing was, he really couldn't wait to tell her just how he felt. Ranger sat back in his chair. There in the dark cave of his office, frayed nerves made him break out in a fine sweat.

Once again he felt his heart racing at just the thought of finally having Stephanie in his life for good. Forever. Nothing had ever seemed so right. So what was going on with him now? This uncertainty was not like him at all. Most of the time he knew exactly what Stephanie thinking, feeling. Why wasn't that working now? Where did this leave him? Did he actually fear her rejection?

He leaned further back and stared up at the black ceiling. His chest expanded with a deep breath. He took in another breath but finding his zone tonight was not going to happen. Too many things would keep sleep from finding him, but when morning came, Ranger would do what he always did, and that would be to regroup and get back to what needed to be done.

One of the first things that he was going to do was make a call to his friend in the US Marshall's office to see if his hunch was right. Then, he would need to have that talk with Stephanie.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 _Summer 1988 ~ Asbury Park, New Jersey_

"Wait up!" Trina called out. "Jeffrey, stop!"

School had been out only a week, and already the summer had been scorching hot. All teenager Jeffrey Phillips wanted to do was get down the beach and let the waves help him forget about the heat and the constant pressures from his parents. He did not need a little sister tagging along and nagging at him.

He sped up, pedaling faster was easy on the slope that led from his neighborhood right down to the edge of the beach. A self-generated wind whipped at his shirt and tousled his hair. Jeffrey could almost taste his freedom. Behind him, Trina still raced behind him on her new bike. She was yelling at him, but he did not hear the words, only the annoying tone of her voice. He could tell she was catching up with him.

Trina's new bike seemed to be faster than his. Jeffrey was annoyed at that too, it was just like her to get the bike that she wanted, and after only the first time she asked for it. Not like the year that it had taken him to convince his parents that he needed a bike. Everything was different with the way his parents treated his sister. Why should he be surprised, he often asked himself. Trina liked to be the informer, the tattler. It made her the perfect daughter, but not such a great sister. He pedaled faster.

Minutes later he reached the edge of the new park that butted up next to the beach. Jeffrey could see the ocean from here The unfathomably blue water crashed against the sand leaving layers of foam in its wake. This is what he loved so much about living on the coast. Now gulps of salty sea air tasted bitter in his lungs, he was almost there.

Slowing down only enough to maneuver his bike along the narrow path that cut through the park, Jeffrey knew that Trina was closing the gap between them. Reaching his destination, he skidded to a stop where the grass ended and the sand began. His plan had been to walk his bike over to the border fence and chain it up while he was here.

Trina yelled again trying to get her brother's attention. Though he had heard her, he still did not acknowledge her. Jeffrey knew that he did not want to hear whatever it was that she had to say. He was more than irritated that she had caught up with him. His heart was pounding, a mixture of anger and fear, as he heaved the wheels of his bike over the sand.

A million thoughts raced through his mind. That he might be in trouble was a definite possibility. Though he had finished his chores this morning, he had not told anyone of his plans to spend the rest of the day alone. His haste to leave may have had something to do with the storms he had read about. If they hit as predicted, this was the only chance he would have to enjoy the beach for weeks.

"Jeffrey!" Exasperation filled her voice as Trina rolled to a stop next to him. Her wheels slipped on the sand and she almost fell, but it did not stop her from delivering the message she had been sent with. "Mom wants me to remind you that our lessons start today," she said, righting her bike and planting one foot in the sand. With every bit of authority that she could muster, Trina put her hands on her hips and announced. "Summer sessions of our music lessons start at eleven." It sounded like a direct quote from his mom. Probably it was.

With deliberate hesitation, he turned around and glared at her. Trina let her arms drop, some of her attitude draining from her as she wilted under his stare. "Mom says we can't be late," she said, her voice now revealing her youth. Two years younger than Jeffrey, she wanted to be just like him. Smart, funny, a bit rebellious, but she never could pull it off. Her own docile personality always got in the way.

Standing there, his hands holding tight to the hand grips, Jeffrey turned away from his sister, his focus now on the sand under his feet. He felt the pent-up anger erupt deep inside of him. This was not right. None of this had been fair, but Jeffrey knew that it did not matter. He would do what he was told.

It was already ten-thirty. Getting to the high school would take at least twenty minutes from here. Then there would be the lessons, two hours of those, he imagined, if not more. Then, of course, the practice time. He had been informed that he was to increase practice sessions from four hours to six during the summer break.

Informed. His mother had never asked him if he wanted to be a world-famous musician like his grandfather had been. It was like she had decided for him, the moment that he was born, that it was to be his destiny to find fame on a stage. After all, it was in his DNA.

That anger in his belly grew even hotter. Even at age fourteen, he knew better. After giving the majority of his childhood to his music he was in the position to know. The deepest hurt came from the fact that there had been a time when Jeffrey had actually wanted that dream too. Now he knew the truth, he was good, but he would never be good enough. Not for the fame that his mother wanted for him. Not like his grandfather had achieved.

Most of the research he had been doing lately agreed on one basic truth. In musical talent, you either had it or you didn't. Jeffrey had come to realize that no matter how hard he tried, or how many hours he practiced, it was not in him to be the prodigy that his parents had hoped for. He was good. Yes. Really good, in fact, but not great. He lacked whatever magic it was that would give him that genius to be innovative, to create. To truly perform. All he could do was a pretty damn good imitation of the great artists. Not. Good. Enough.

Finally, Jeffrey lifted his head to look at Trina. Her big blue eyes sparkled in the bright sunshine. She was cute when she got all flustered. He smiled, it wasn't her fault that he had started hating every minute that he had to spend on his music. Besides, he knew that he had to cut her some slack, she was in nearly the same boat. Their parents wanted her to study music just as hard as he had to. "Okay," he finally said. "Let's get going."

He never did get to the beach that day or the day after that. In fact, when the storms he had read about got there, Jeffrey was secretly glad that no one else got to go and play in the sand or ride the waves either. If he couldn't do it, he was happy that he wasn't the only one.

Piano lessons that summer turned into violin lessons, then flute. It seemed that his mother had finally faced the fact that he was not like his grandfather after all. Nothing changed that much really, he still had lessons and hours and hours of practice. It's just that some of the laser focus she had had became blurred a bit. Sometimes it made Jeffrey sad that he had disappointed her so badly. And sometimes he wondered if it was okay to have dreams of his own

. .

The sun had not yet shown its face when Stephanie woke up. For a few moments, she lay there trying to separate her restless dreams from the reality of the day before. Yes, with pain stabbing at her heart she admitted that the worst of her nightmares had actually happened. A box had shown up at her door, and so had Ranger.

It hurt all over again as she remembered how cold he had acted towards her when he left. She moaned into her pillow, wishing that she could have forgotten all about that. Of course, forgetting would have been too easy and she knew it. Not even her dreams had let her do that. No, she had relived those painful, confusing, and heartbreaking moments over and over again, all night long.

Well, there was one way she could force herself to get past the pain, and that was to stay busy. Stephanie felt that the mystery box was just the thing that could help her to do exactly that. She was also anxious to look at the search that she had started last night, in fact, that would be the best place to start. With a newfound burst of energy, especially this early in the morning, Stephanie sat up ready to jump out of bed.

Her progress, however, was hampered with sheets that had tangled in knots all around her legs. Her restless night, it seemed, had left her twisted up in the yards of fabric. In frustration, Stephanie slumped back onto the mattress and took a deep breath before trying to extract herself from her bonds. "A great way to start the day," she muttered, finally tossing a crumpled pile of bedding onto the floor.

Stephanie stumbled into the living room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Layers of dull gray shadows gave shape to the furniture and Stephanie carefully made her way around to the couch. She swore under her breath when her toe made contact with the leg of the coffee table. The abrupt jolt was enough to assure that she was completely awake now. It also woke up her laptop. The screen lit up, nearly blinding her with its contrast to the dark room.

After a moment, her eyes adjusted and she carefully settled in on the couch pulling the computer onto her lap. Eager to see what the search program had found, Stephanie sucked air into her lungs as her finger tapped a key to bring up the information on the screen. She exhaled loudly as the page began to load.

"So, what's this all about Mr. Phillips?" she whispered. Stephanie sat back and swallowed hard in an attempt to settle the butterflies that had taken residence in her chest. Frayed nerves aside, she was more than ready to find some answers.

. .

As he did nearly every morning, Tank showed up for his early workout session before his shift at RangeMan. Unlike other days, however, Tank knew that things were going to be anything but normal today. Ranger was back from his latest covert mission and Tank knew that something major had changed with his friend.

Exhibit number one, he thought, happened at Stephanie's place yesterday. There had been nothing normal about Ranger's reaction to being around Stephanie. What was that all about? Something truly strange was going on and Tank wanted to talk to Ranger about it. Unfortunately, that had proven to be impossible. True to form, his friend had kept himself too busy, deflecting any attempts that Tank had made to have a few words.

Their trip over to Stephanie's was still on Tank's mind. Trouble often found Stephanie, everyone knew that. While that much had not changed for her, the change he was glad about was that after all these months, he had been able to be there to help her. That had felt so good, at first. Tank still puzzled over how bizarre the whole thing had been. Ranger had never had a problem with being Stephanie's knight in shining armor before. Hell, they had all stepped into that role at one time or another and would gladly do it again, now that she had let them back into her life. It was just this time around it had been so awkward.

Some of the strain might have been explained by the fact that Stephanie had been keeping her distance from Tank and the guys for months. Her part-time hours had dropped off immediately after Ranger had left, even though everyone at RangeMan would have loved to have her keep working with them. Of course, Tank had kept tabs on her while Ranger had been away, at least enough to send someone to watch out for her when the situation warranted it, not that they let her know about it. She had told them that she would not be needing their help anymore and for the most part, Stephanie had been keeping to herself all this time

Finding out that an unknown box had shown up at her place had worried Tank. It had been his experience to know that that kind of thing was never good. With Stephanie asking for Ranger's help though, Tank had had such high hopes for the future for both of them. As a third party onlooker, Tank had not missed the sparks flying every time those two were together and he had always enjoyed watching the sexual tension between Ranger and Stephanie.

Despite the initial worry, going over to Stephanie's place yesterday should have been deliciously entertaining. For Tank, the chance to see others playing the game of hearts was immensely satisfying. Nothing better than witnessing the risk people took with their emotions, as long as his own heart remained safe from harm.

After having spent so much time apart, Tank had fully expected to see Ranger up his game. Stephanie loved the flirting, the stolen kisses, the innuendo. Even if she often blushed and tried to hide it, she always let Ranger play the game. And Ranger was always up to the challenge, but something had happened yesterday and Tank was at a loss to know what it was.

Granted, no one could have predicted how the mysterious package scenario would play out. Tension of another sort had run high until Hector had declared the box harmless. Once the danger had passed, however, there shouldn't have been anything in the way of Ranger and Stephanie picking up where they had left off. So what was going on?

Walking down the mostly deserted halls, Tank was giving the matter some serious thought. The heavy doors swung open easily under the hands of the big man. A few lights were already on in the gym, enough to light his way. Before he got his workout started, Tank made a decision. No matter how many objections he got from Ranger, he was just going to have to have that talk with his friend.

That the game of hearts had to be played out until the end seemed to be an unwritten rule. And while Tank had deliberately limited his own experience with this unpredictable game, this much he knew, Ranger could not afford to lose Stephanie. Whether or not Ranger knew it, his heart was on his sleeve now. Tank was certain of one thing, his friend's whole future depended on what happened next.

. .


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Though it had been months since she had done any, Stephanie knew searches could take hours to complete. She assumed this could be the case for Mr. Phillips, there was no reason not to think that was the way it could be. Sinking back into the cushions of the couch, Stephanie stared at the glow of the screen.

Unused to the glare her eyes blinked and Stephanie had to close them for a moment. It really was early and she squeezed her eyes tight, her face squinched up in the effort to wake up more fully and adjust to the light of the screen.

Suddenly, the humming of the laptop changed subtly. The program had finished loading, Stephanie recognized the difference subtle difference in the sounds her computer made, the whirring of the search program had stopped, the search was done.

"Well," Stephanie shook her head. "That didn't take long," she said under her breath. From her reclining position, she had to twist around awkwardly to carefully place the computer on the coffee table. Unfolding her legs, she sat on the edge of the couch just staring at the screen.

She leaned forward to scroll down through the pages and back up again.

"This can't be all there is," Stephanie muttered.

None of this made any sense.

After a few minutes of confused stupor, the need for coffee hit. Without another thought, she made her way to the kitchen. Passing by Rex who was still hiding in his can this early in the morning, Stephanie whispered a soft good morning, not intending for him to hear her. It would not do to wake the little guy, not after he had been working so hard all night long.

Quietly rummaging around in the kitchen, Stephanie found what she needed. She shrugged the fatigue out of her shoulders and got busy. Instant coffee wasn't quite the same as the fresh perked stuff that Ella was always brewing in the break room at RangeMan, but it was going to have to do. A sigh escaped her lips. Ella's coffee was only one of the things she had missed for all of these past months.

Stephanie had regretted her decision to quit working at RangeMan. She had thought about it every single day, but without Ranger there, it had just felt so wrong. She had missed him so badly. Memories flooded her mind. Her breath hitched. Part of her had always believed that she would start working there again when Ranger got back. Would that happen now? She had no answer for that question.

Shaking off the depression these thoughts had dredged up, Stephanie turned her attention back to her coffee. She heated the mug of water in the microwave, partially mesmerized as she watched its circular path through the blurry window.

When she could see the fine mist of the steam rising from the water she took the cup out. Her mood improving, Stephanie couldn't stop the smile that lifted the corners of her mouth as the coffee crystals hissed when she added them to the steaming water. It was the best part about using the instant stuff.

Taking a seat at the kitchen table, she sipped at the hot liquid, ignoring the taste but hoping that the caffeine would kick in quickly. After a few minutes, Stephanie turned her gaze to the organized piles of stuff from the box that she and Mary Lou had put together last night.

Someone wanted her to know what to do with all of these seemingly random items. But who? And Why? Stephanie absently tapped her finger on the closest stack of newspaper clippings before focusing in on them. These would probably be the first thing that she went over again.

She wished with all her heart that whatever she found, it would be good news, but she was more than aware that there were no guarantees that it could be. Especially given her track record with the strange things that seemed to happen in her life and her line of work.

Stephanie looked across the table, picturing the day before when Ranger stood there with his muscular arms folded firmly over his chest. Never looking at her, not speaking to her. Practically pretending that she was not even there. Those images caused her heart to ache and she slumped in the chair.

Closing her eyes, Stephanie tried to block out those images by bringing up the better memories of being held in Ranger's arms. In that moment she had found all that she had ever wanted. She kind of just wanted Ranger to know that. He had always seemed to know what she was thinking. No matter how much that fact had annoyed her at times, it finally occurred to her that maybe she had relied on it being the case for her now.

Ever since she left Joe, Stephanie had known without any doubt that she wanted to be with Ranger. Heck, it was the number one reason why she had broken off her relationship with Joe. Unfortunately, it was true that she had not had a chance to tell Ranger any of this, to actually say the words, but she had believed that when she saw him again he would know what was in her mind. In her heart.

Suddenly Stephanie felt foolish. Of course, Ranger could not actually read her mind, she had to say the words. She had to tell him that she loved him. That she wanted to share her whole life with him. Forever. She had waited too long and now she so badly wanted to say the words. With a moment of perfect clarity, Stephanie realized that it was time, she was going to find a way to tell Ranger everything that she felt in her heart. That is what she needed to do, more than anything else in the world.

She would talk to him. There, it was decided and she gave one good nod of her head in confirmation. Now that she had made that decision, Stephanie was thrilled and scared to death all at the same time. Her future was far from certain. After saying the words, after sharing what was in her heart, she would have to leave it up to Ranger. Once he knew how she felt, the ball would be in his court. What happened next would be up to him.

Doubts tried to creep in, stealing away the resolve she had just felt. Stephanie set the coffee mug down on the table. Questions that remained in her mind left a deep pain in her heart. So much was unknown to her at the moment, but somehow she had to find her answers. Was Ranger ready to share his life with her? How could she survive if he decided that the answer was no?

. .

 _Trenton ~ New Jersey ~ Fall 2005_

This time every year, Jeffrey Phillips found himself sitting down in the living room of his parents home. For hours he spent his time looking through the scrapbooks that his mother had painstakingly compiled to document his rise to fame. It all seemed like another lifetime ago. Even the slightly musty scent of these books and their yellowing pages lent that air of days long forgotten.

It was a bittersweet melancholy that Jeffrey allowed to spread over him as he sat here. Because there had been so times when he had felt that he wanted to make his mother happy, he realized that music had indeed become the center of his life.

Though he did not love it as his parents had once hoped, Jeffrey could play several instruments and had always been pretty good at helping his sister with her own lessons. When he went to college it seemed inevitable that he should take the advice of his parents and pursue a music major. Maybe he had been manipulated into it, maybe he thought it was the easy route, it did not matter anymore.

"Turning points," he mumbled to himself. Like every other big decision in his life, Jeffrey felt the familiar mix of helplessness and resentment rise in his gut. He had somehow allowed his parents to make that one for him too.

As the evening shadows stretched across the room, Jeffrey finally closed the last book. The same old disappointment he always felt filled his heart. Though these scrapbooks held photos and ribbons and faded newspaper clippings all featuring his name, they were not very representative of who he was. Who he wanted to be. What he truly loved. None of the articles he had written for his school newspaper were here.

He was not surprised. His mother had never read them, let alone save any of them. Simply put, they had nothing to do with music, so they held no importance to her. Neither of his parents had understood, and it had been impossible to explain to them that he wanted to be a journalist. Jeffrey still felt the sting of rejection. They would hear nothing of it. Of course not, he scoffed, his destiny lay elsewhere.

He had struggled with them all through his senior year of high school, but to no avail. When it came time to decide, he ended up accepting the music major to make them happy, while secretly declaring communications as his minor.

The double major was really the only way that he could justify going to college at all. Nothing else made sense to him because Jeffrey knew that all he would ever be able to do with a degree in music was to become a teacher. Communications, however, would open the door to the dream job he wanted.

Years later he was still quite satisfied with that decision. After all, he had acquired the skills and knowledge to be the investigative journalist that he had always wanted to be. But it is funny how things work out in life. Only months after Jeffrey graduated, and before he got his first big break to show that he was a good reporter, his parents were killed in an accident.

His world changed forever that day. All of his dreams of traveling the world, finding important stories to write about, and becoming a world-renowned reporter were put on hold. As the only family that his sister Trina had left, Jeffrey felt it was up to him to see to it that she was able to finish college too.

Trina had needed two more years to complete her degree at Rutgers University. So, Jeffrey did what he needed to do. He searched for a teaching position so that he could be as near to her as he could while she finished school. That job opportunity had been found at Trenton Central High School. Maybe it had not been as close to Rutgers as he had hoped, but close enough to spend time with Trina.

Jeffrey was okay with it, after all, it really was a good position, he was more than prepared to do it and ultimately, it filled his needs. Ironically, Trina had thought that it was what he wanted and she was happy for him. If he had ever told her about his true dreams there was no way she would have let him stay. He knew that. He did, but Trina needed him and it had been an easy decision for him to make. Working for the school in Trenton kept Jeffrey near his sister, but he had never really developed a love for teaching.

Talent and his degree earned him the job and he quickly proved himself to be a great teacher. But from day one Jeffrey had had no intention of falsely encouraging any students who actually possessed no intrinsic musical abilities. It seemed cruel to him to pretend that one day they could become a star if they just tried hard enough. He knew first hand how that could work out.

Every year he diligently looked for that rare raw talent, and occasionally he found some. It was a thrill when that happened, but more often than not Jeffrey found more satisfaction as he searched out stories to write about. He would become a journalist one day, that was still his goal and he wanted to keep his skills sharp.

Those stories he followed may not have had him traveling around the globe, but they had taken him to every corner of the city. Though most people in Trenton did not know it, his articles were featured in several newspapers including the Trenton Times. During the day he was Mr. Phillips, music teacher. After hours he was J.P., investigative journalist. Jeffrey found it exciting. He had been dealing with some rough characters, any reporter worth his salt had to rub shoulders with the unsavory people of the world, but he had never considered that he was ever in any danger.

With a sigh, Jeffrey put the scrapbooks and all of those memories back on the shelf. Trina had graduated, his duty had been done. In fact, she was even married now. Jeffrey knew that he didn't need to stay at the high school any longer. He wasn't quite sure why he had contracted for one more year but he knew it would be his last.

With the freelance articles that he had been selling, Jeffrey had been laying the foundation for his future as a well-respected journalist. There was a lilt in his step as he left the house that evening. The light at the end of his tunnel was shining brightly.

. .


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Mary Lou seemed more relaxed this morning. Lenny could tell she was still upset about what her best friend was going through but she was smiling and acting very calm. Peeking at her from behind his newspaper, Lenny noted the not so subtle gleam in her eyes. No doubt, his darling wife had come up with a plan. She liked to do that - fix peoples problems, she excelled at figuring out how to help. He loved that about her.

Lenny did not want to upset her good mood. Since their discussion last night, he had been thinking about a few things too. And whatever he thought that he could remember about Mr. Phillips, he did not want to say anything until he got a few answers of his own.

A visit to the VFW was in order, he thought. Last time he had done some work at the old building, Lenny had noticed that some of his favorite teachers from high school had retired and now spent a lot of their time hanging out with their buddies there at the VFW hall. He had enjoyed having the chance to talk to them, as an adult now, well almost. Even twelve years hadn't erased the habits of the older men seeing him as a student and that had bugged him a little bit. But that did not matter, he could deal with it if they had the information that he now sought.

So after breakfast, he kissed his wife goodbye and headed to town. On the way, he grabbed a couple dozen doughnuts from the bakery, figuring that would be a good icebreaker with the gentlemen that he wanted to talk to. Lenny figured that everyone liked doughnuts. Anyway, it could be seen as a nice gesture.

How lucky, he thought, that he had recently reconnected with the very people he needed to talk to. Hopefully, there would be nothing keeping them all from being there today, it would make things very convenient, particularly if they would be willing to answer a few questions. Besides, he reminded himself with the barest trace of a smirk, he was not coming empty-handed.

The closer he got, however, Lenny thought better about it. Doughnuts were a good start but he just couldn't help but wonder if there might be something that the men would like even more. He stopped at the next grocery store that he saw and grabbed a case of beer. Yeah, it was still early, but it couldn't hurt, right? Anything to get the conversation started. He really needed to know what these men remembered about the time when Mr. Phillips had disappeared.

Loaded down with the doughnuts and beer, Lenny pushed open the front door of the big box of a building. He made his way towards the rec room. The sound of men talking and laughing brought him a sigh of relief and he was able to conjure up a smile as he entered the room.

"Hey there, Lenny," a man called out almost immediately. Lenny nodded his head in greeting. Old Mr. Black, still spry at his age, jumped up to help Lenny unload the goodies that he had brought with him. After they set everything on the small table next to the door, Mr. Black good-naturedly slapped Lenny on the back, almost knocking him over. The man Lenny remembered from his shop class was still big and overzealous and loud. Lenny smiled, he had always liked him.

"Oh hi, Mr. Black," Lenny said with a chuckle. "I didn't know you had retired already."

The older man led Lenny over to the semi-circle of chairs that were arranged around a portable TV set. "Yeah," he said with a smile. "It's been just about a month now, but I gotta tell ya, it sure felt like a long time in coming." Several of the men seated around them were nodding in agreement, teaching was not an easy job, especially with high school kids.

Lenny was welcomed into the group by the men seated in the circle and he was relieved to see that several of the teachers he had hoped to talk to were here with Mr. Black. He offered the doughnuts and let them laugh about the beer before sitting down with them.

"Got a job to do today?" asked Mr. Cudney. Lenny had seen his former English teacher the last time he was here, along with Mr. Hrenko and Mr. Dorell, but most importantly the former vice principal Mr. Otley. Lenny shook his head slightly as he answered.

"No job, I actually hoped that I could talk to you for a few minutes," Lenny said. "If that's okay with you," he quickly added. Yep, old habits die hard, with all of these older men surrounding him it was impossible not to feel like a young student again. Lenny looked around apprehensively. The tension in his chest eased when he saw smiles breaking out on all of their faces.

"What can we do you for?" asked Mr. Black, as he settled into one of the vinyl covered chairs, taking the seat next to Lenny. All eyes were on Lenny as he started talking. He reminisced about a few of the events that had taken place while he was in school. Coach Hrenko laughed at his recollection about the pep rally that ended up with half of the football team singeing their hair when they got too close to the bonfire.

They all laughed when he talked about the time the school board insisted that the students in the catering classes should be allowed to help with lunch prep. Their plan to save costs by letting a few lunch ladies go had backfired big time.

"The kids who didn't just throw out the nasty tasting food ended up barfing all over the school," remembered Mr. Otley. "And parents were up in arms when their kids were sick at home too." It was plain to see that none of the men here had forgotten that episode, each sharing details of what went down in their own classrooms.

Lenny was glad to see that his former teachers still had great memories. Now he had a good idea that they would remember what they knew about Mr. Phillips. When the time was right, he moved on to his purpose for coming today.

"So," Lenny said. Taking a deep breath before continuing. "I was hoping that you could tell me about Mr. Phillips."

Around the circle, the men exchanged pointed looks. Whether or not they had expected this question, none of them seemed surprised. Lenny waited, but no one said anything immediately. He met Mr. Cudney's gaze and decided to go for it.

"My girlfriend was on the yearbook staff and spent a lot of time near your room," Lenny said. Unable to hide his shy smile he added, "That meant that I was there a lot too." The men all joined him in laughter. Oh, young love, they seemed to say. "We saw Mr. Phillips around there too," Lenny said after a moment. "Was he your friend?"

Though Lenny had expected Mr. Cudney to answer his inquiry, it was Mr. Black that finally spoke up for the group. "It was hard when Mr. Phillips disappeared," he said, the look on his lined face suddenly very solemn. His voice was lowered when he next spoke. "We all liked him."

"He was younger than most of us," Coach Hrenko added, "And he had big dreams, but not about teaching."

Mr. Otley was quick to make it clear that he had not exactly been a bad teacher. Pointing out that many of the students had really liked him. Lenny got the feeling that Otley did not want it to seem that he had, in any way, been responsible for hiring someone who did not do a good job at his school. Isn't that just like an administrator, Lenny thought, hiding a smirk.

Finally, Mr. Cudney answered Lenny's question. "His big dreams had more to do with writing than with music," he said. He stumbled over the words, uncertain if it was okay to share this part of his friend's story. After another pause, he finished his thought. "Jeffrey often asked me to read his work, he said. "And, truly, it wasn't half bad."

Mr. Otley slowly shook his head. "Jeffrey was working as a freelance reporter," he said. "He had articles in the local paper but we never knew that at the time." His shoulders lifted in a shrug.

Again, the men looked at each other before anything else was said. And now there seemed to be a consensus that it had been long enough ago, that they could talk openly about Jeffrey Phillips now. "We were all upset when he left so abruptly," it was Mr. Cudney that kept talking. "Just the week before that he had been so excited that one of his articles had been accepted for publication in a national newspaper."

"Was it about the investigation he had been doing on drug dealers?" Lenny asked, noting the surprise he saw in the eyes around the room. "I couldn't help but overhear him sometimes," he said, words coming quickly as he became concerned about the reaction he might get. "I remember that someone told him that he should be careful."

Those last words seemed to hang in the air for the longest of moments. Lenny was worried that they were done talking to him, but he kept quiet, waiting. Sure enough, when the silence was broken, he got the answer that he had been after.

"Yes," Mr. Cudney said. "How he got involved with that story I don't know, I think it was more dangerous than he believed it could be."

"He had informants, he told us. He wasn't going into any of it blind."

"We all told him we were worried," said the coach. "I even offered to show him some self-defense moves, but he didn't seem to think he would need any of that." Coach Hrenko shook his head slowly, still wondering if that had been his downfall.

"They never found a body," Mr. Black said, almost to himself. "That was another reason to worry." His meaning was clear. What if someone had thought that Jeffrey had not acted alone. Everyone had worried about that, but, fortunately, after a few tense months, nothing more had come of that story and they had felt relieved.

Until Mary Lou had come home from Stephanie's last night, it had been a long time since Lenny had thought about Mr. Phillips. Interesting how different his perspective was now. His teenage self had not worried much about it. The police had done their work with the investigation and the school had tried to help any students that were upset about the disappearance of their teacher. For the most part, life had gone on as it always had. But in light of what had landed on Stephanie's doorstep, Lenny had to wonder how much anyone really knew about what had happened all those years ago.

After a while, the conversation turned to sports and funerals. Lenny thanked his former teachers and said goodbye. While some of his questions had been addressed, he was not satisfied with the answers. At least his little visit had helped him form a new plan in his mind. There were a couple of jobs he needed to get to today, but they could wait.

It was something that Mr. Cudney had said that made Lenny think about the next stop he needed to make. Without hesitation, he headed over to talk to his cousin. Funny, he thought again, no one had thought about Mr. Phillips for a very long time. Who would have guessed he would have come back into their lives again?

Until he has some more answers, Lenny was not at all sure how he felt about that.

. .

. .


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

. .

Hitting some heavy morning traffic on his way downtown, Ranger tuned into his zone and remained focused on his mission. Whether it was his driving skills or the magic, that Stephanie had so often imagined at work when he found parking places, Ranger moved swiftly through the sea of cars out in their daily commutes. He was glad for whatever force seemed to be working in his favor, it was important to get down to the city buildings as quickly as he could. His friend Eric had agreed to meet with him, but a few minutes would be all they had before Eric would be off on an assignment.

Ranger hoped that it would not take long to get the answers he sought. He was not, however, under any illusions that what he was asking was going to be easy. Leaving his car in the parking lot behind the building, Ranger strolled up to the doors. He pushed them open, relieved to see that he would not have to wait in any lines to get through security.

Placing his keys in the plastic bin, Ranger nodded at the guards as he passed through the sensors. He knew most of the men here. In his line of work, he knew many of the law enforcement officers around Trenton. They returned the silent greeting, a professional courtesy, certainly, but they all liked him too. They knew that Ranger and his company often made their own jobs a lot easier. In a fluid motion, Ranger smoothly grabbed his keys, tucking them into his pocket as he headed down the hall.

Eric was waiting for him outside the office door. Interesting. Ranger was curious but not surprised at seeing Eric there. His friend was in a hurry, understandably, but Ranger knew it was much more than that. All of the marshalls that he knew were very secretive about their job descriptions, let alone their workspace. It was not necessarily that way with Eric, as they went way back, were old friends. But to keep the peace with the others in the office, Eric had decided that a quick break outside would be a good idea.

"Walk with me," he said.

Eric Matheny was a big man, taller and wider than Ranger, but they both knew that if it came down

to it, Ranger would win any contest of strength they became involved in. Of course, that had never mattered, it had and never would come to that between them. And Eric's bad ass image was perfect for his job.

"Let's grab a coffee," Eric started to say. "Or something," he added, winking at his friend. They passed back through the doors that Ranger had just entered and walked down to the end of the street. As soon as they turned the corner, they were hit with the deep aroma of roasted coffee beans.

"Heat it up," Ranger said, reading the lettering on the large umbrella shading what looked like a modified bicycle built for two. The flames decorating the umbrella nearly glowed in the bright morning sunshine. Several people were already standing around with steaming cups in their hands. It looked promising, and when they got closer and Ranger caught the unmistakable scent of Chai, he almost smiled.

"It's on me," Eric said as they approached. A few minutes later the men walked further down the street, bright red Styrofoam cups in hand. This part of the area was residential with no obvious places to sit, so Eric motioned for them to walk just a bit further, separating themselves from the rest of the morning crowd and away from any curious ears and eyes.

Neither of them spoke for several minutes. When he began to talk, Ranger did not look up at his friend. If anyone was looking, his attention appeared to be on his drink. "You told me before about some of the procedures that you have to follow for witsec cases," he said. "Can I ask you a few more questions about that?"

Eric was silent for a long pause. "What do you need to know?" They both knew that there was only so much that he could say, the people who went into the witness protection programs had to leave their lives behind, and total secrecy was the only thing that could keep them safe.

Ranger brought the cup up to his lips, but he did not drink. The steam was still hot enough to warn him not to scald his mouth and he lowered the cup, holding it with both hands now. His mind went back to Stephanie's search. The way Jeffrey Phillips completely evaporated from existence still gave Ranger the idea that he had been absorbed into a witsec program. He wanted to find answers for Stephanie, but he was well aware of how delicate this conversation needed to be.

"It is a new life that you give these people, and I won't ask about that. But what is done to end the life they have to leave?" Ranger hesitated a moment and added more to the question. "Obits, funerals? What do the friends and acquaintances left behind get to do to have some degree of closure?"

Being a US marshall, Eric was always prepared to be completely vague when asked about his job, particularly about the witness protection program. He thought that he had heard it all, but what Ranger asked him now had actually never come up before.

"No, we don't generally stage fake funerals," he said. "I suppose that if it was requested we would, but no one has ever asked."

"Loose ends," Ranger said under his breath. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed logical to follow it through and end one life before helping someone start a whole new one. The huge gap left otherwise would just be begging to be explored. No doubt the marshalls knew their job, but Ranger figured it would not hurt for them to rethink a few of these details.

"What happens when someone tries to find these people?" Ranger asked. This time he looked up and their eyes met. Eric was slightly shaking his head, he had had experience with that kind of situation, usually involving a trial and some really bad guys, and it almost never worked out real well for anyone concerned.

"Do you need to find someone?" Eric asked cautiously. If asked for his help, his answer would have to be no, but he was curious where all of these questions were coming from.

Ranger delayed his answer by slowly taking a sip of his tea. "No," he finally said. "But there is somebody who is either trying to find someone, or trying to be found."

This statement took Eric by surprise. "Got a name?" he asked. Maybe there was something that he needed to know about this.

"An original name," Ranger said. "Don't know if the guy is under your protection, but there is enough circumstantial evidence to suggest that he could be." He paused. This was important, to Stephanie and possibly to the man in question, but he didn't want his friend to get into any trouble.

"Go on," Eric said. Ranger nodded. Looks like Eric was ready to get involved.

"Jeffrey Phillips."

Though Ranger was looking closely at Eric, his friends face showed no recognition or any emotion at all. That meant nothing, Eric was as good as Ranger was at schooling his reactions, and he had a damn good poker face. All he did was give him a quick sharp nod. "I'll get back to you," Eric said.

Their meeting was over. No more words were spoken as they returned to the building. Eric entered and Ranger watched him disappear behind the glass doors before turning and walking back to his car. He had been right. Eric's non-reaction had spoken volumes. He did not deny knowing anything and that meant he could have some information to share. At the right time.

Now he would have to wait. Ranger hated waiting. He had hoped to have something solid to take to Stephanie this morning. It was to have been his excuse to call her. See her. He slipped into his car and headed back. The traffic had eased up quite a bit now that the rush to work was over, but Ranger took no notice of it. His mind was working on his current problem.

He wanted to talk to Stephanie. There were a few things he needed to say to her. And he did not want to wait.

. .

 _Present day ~ Asbury Park, NJ_

Waiting was always the hardest part and as much as she hated it, Trina Murphy had lots of experience at it. Her whole life, it seemed, she had been waiting for something. Music was first, waiting for the lessons and practicing to pay off. That took years and now she was really good. Good enough to have a spot in the Philadelphia Orchestra.

If she had been waiting for her parents to be proud of her accomplishments, Trina would still be disappointed. Neither she nor her brother had ever reached that pinnacle. Not as long as they had always been compared to their grandfather. Trina knew that had always bothered Jeffrey much more than it did her. He had absolutely hated it, she had just become resigned to it, but no matter what, it had influenced how they had lived their lives.

Of course, everything had changed since Jeffrey left. There was nothing she could have done about it. "The more things change, the more they stay the same," Trina muttered pulling the phone out of her pocket.

Wasn't it funny, Trina mused, funny that her brother had chosen to keep the family home here in Asbury Park. She would have thought that this house was the last thing that Jeffrey would have wanted. Too many memories. Instead of selling it, though, over the years she had watched as her brother spent his weekends fixing up the place with construction skills she didn't even know he had.

Now, it seemed, Trina could not part with the house either. She was back here again, back to Jeffrey's house. She would always think of it that way, even though he had not been here for nearly twelve years. Something always drew her back. Sentimentality, perhaps at one time, but now she knew it was much more than that. Secrets. That was what kept her coming home.

Trina was pacing again, back and forth between the kitchen and dining room. Once upon a time, that was as long as the telephone cord would reach, but old habits die hard and even with her cell phone in hand, the path was the same. It would have made Jeffrey laugh. When they were kids he never could understand the amount of time she seemed to spend on the phone talking to her friends. He had teased her about it constantly, but Trina knew it was only that, teasing. In reality, she did not have all that much extra time. Music, as always, came first.

Thoughts of Jeffrey were constantly on her mind, most often accompanied with deep pangs of regret. Trina never could explain how they had grown so far apart year after year. If she had to pinpoint the moment they started drifting away from each other she knew it was after she had finished college. He was busy with teaching, she thought, and her job with the orchestra kept her occupied. Then she met Ryan. Trina missed Jeffrey. She was always thinking about him, yet Trina was not able to talk about him, not with anyone, not even with her husband Ryan.

Why had everything become so crazy? Trina was living two lives now. One was a normal life with Ryan, the other a frantic search for Jeffrey. The two did not meet, not ever. They couldn't, not until Jeffrey was safe.

Keeping up the charade, Trina was trying to act what people would consider normal. This was their weekend at home, Jeffrey's home, she reminded herself, though she and Ryan legally owned it now. Normal, it was normal to come here every time the orchestra had a break.

Normal. The pacing while on the phone was as normal as preparing dinner, taking out the garbage, going to work. Normal was how Trina had been trying to act since the day Jeffrey had left. It was also the hardest thing she had ever had to do. But she had promised, so here she was.

It wasn't fair. Every day she thought the same thing. She was living in the home her parents had left to Jeffrey. Their childhood home had become hers when her brother had disappeared. Trina wished that Jeffrey were here instead. In his home. Living his life. That would be the right thing but she did not talk about it. If anyone thought it was strange that she did not mention much about her past, they were polite enough not to say anything.

Ryan smiled as he moved past his wife in the hallway. He knew Trina always paced while talking on her phone, he thought it was cute. He had no idea. He tenderly kissed her cheek as he made his way down the hall to the den. That was his favorite place in the house and Trina was glad he was okay being here. Ryan liked their second home well enough, but Trina had never told her husband about the secrets. Secrets that might be hiding right here in the house. Perhaps even in the room where he spent so much of his time.

Normal, she reminded herself as Ryan came back into the dining room and hugged her from behind. Trina leaned her head back on his chest, reaching up to give him a kiss before resuming her phone conversation. He squeezed her waist and kissed her neck just like he always did before moving away, back to the ball game playing on the TV in the den. Normal.

She smiled at him as he turned away. Trina wondered if Ryan was aware that they were playing a game, keeping up appearances. If he did she could only regret that he did not know the rules. So it was up to her to do her part, but now that the package had been sent, it was killing her. Pretending that anything was normal now was absurd. So often Trina wondered how long she could keep it up, keep playing her part.

Forever, or as long as she needed to. That was the only answer. As it had been for over a decade now.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

With so much on her mind, time started to get away from Stephanie this morning. Sitting here staring at the piles of random stuff on the table she tried to remember everything that Mary Lou had said while they were working last night. "This is important to someone, Steph," she said. the more she thought about it, the more she Stephanie worried that she did not have very long to find out who that person is.

Usually, nothing productive happened this early in the morning for her, but the urgency she was starting to feel changed everything. Stephanie knew she had to find some answers. The caffeine had kicked in now, and she was ready to find the clues that she needed. Digging in, Stephanie read through each of the newspaper clippings.

An hour later she put the last paper down and rubbed her eyes. Stephanie was getting frustrated, she had read every word but nothing was jumping out at her and worse, none of it seemed to make any sense either. All those years ago Mr. Phillips had disappeared, no matter what she could or could not remember about that herself, Stephanie felt that there should have been enough in the news coverage to fill in the blanks for her now.

Shaking her head, she tossed the last article onto the pile. It seemed that they had all said the same thing, which essentially was nothing. No one knew what had happened to her teacher. Stephanie sat back in her chair, tapping her fingernail on the table while she thought. After finding so little in the search she had done, it was more than a little unsettling that she was still missing the information that she was looking for.

From over on the couch, a low buzzing sound alerted her to the call that was about to come in. Her cell phone started ringing before she could jump up and rush over to answer it. Grabbing it, she looked at the screen just as she punched the button to answer the call. The caller ID said her mom was calling and Stephanie suddenly questioned if she wanted to be answering at all. What could her mother need this early? Certainly, she couldn't have another lecture for her already. All at once fear pushed that thought from her mind, her mom never called so early.

"Mom?" Stephanie said. "Is everything alright?"

"Stephanie!" Helen blurted. "I just don't know what to do." The words sounded shrill over the phone and made Stephanie cringe a little bit, but what really worried her was the desperate sound of her mother's voice. It only took another second to know that her instincts about that were spot on. "It's your grandmother, she never came home last night!" Oh boy, that got Stephanie's attention.

"What happened?" Stephanie asked, feeling the firm grip of fear clutching at her throat, making it hard to breathe. Too many possibilities raced through her mind. Her grandmother did seem to be able to find the strangest kinds of trouble. Well, most of it was by her own creation, but that did not make it any less serious.

"When did you see her last?" Stephanie closed her eyes. "Did daddy get into a fight with her again?" She pinched the bridge of her nose like she had seen Ranger do countless times, to ease the tension headache building rapidly between her eyes. "Where did anyone see her last night?"

The questions came at a rapid-fire rate and Stephanie did not wait for any of the answers. She was running around now, grabbing her shoes, her purse, her keys. Ready to go out and start looking.

"Don't worry mom," she said. "I'm leaving now, I'll find her."

She hated thinking that her grandmother could be out there somewhere, hurt or unconscious. If you were to believe her father, her actions were not rational or even normal, and he reasoned that Grandma Mazur was already suffering from dementia. It was true, her grandmother was eccentric and fiercely independent and occasionally outlandish and there were times when Stephanie was inclined to buy her dad's theory. Oh, what if she was lost and couldn't find her way home? With renewed worry, Stephanie swallowed hard. She had to hurry.

In her haste, Stephanie was still moving fast as she yanked the front door wide open. Suddenly her momentum was halted. Stephanie was surprised to see her grandmother standing there with her hand raised, ready to knock on the door. Stephanie tried to steady herself, leaving barely a split second for her to take in the neon green dress and impossibly high heels before the smaller woman toppled over right into her arms.

"You took me by surprise," Grandma Mazur said, her voice a bit muffled. Trying to untangle herself from, she twisted awkwardly and somehow landed on her back. Stephanie was now partly on top of her grandmother and, not wanting to squish her, she too tried to get untangled. Their limbs and purses got twisted together complicating things, but they kept trying until things worked their way loose. "You going somewhere?" she asked, looking up innocently at her granddaughter.

Stifling a laugh at the audacity of that contrived expression, Stephanie just shook her head as she helped her grandmother into a standing position. As gently as she could, Stephanie led her over to the couch, supporting her as she wobbled on those heels. There was something familiar about this outfit, but not from her grandmother's regular bold style. Lula. Yep, Stephanie was pretty sure her friend had been at work again. A make-over at best, a night of partying at worst. She rolled her eyes and sat down. There was a story here, but Stephanie was not sure if she wanted to hear it.

"Mom called," Stephanie said, an explanation that needed no more words. And now it was Grandma Mazur's turn to give a grand eye roll of her own. "Grandma, what happened?" Stephanie asked. "Where have you been all night?" Hesitatingly she asked, "Lula?"

Edna Mazur had the decency to look a bit chagrined, but at the same time held her head high in defiance. Her son in law thought she was crazy, her own daughter wanted her to stop having any kind of fun, and the world as a whole did not understand that she was not ready to act like she had one foot already in the grave. No sir! She was an adult and a grown woman who wanted to have a good time.

"You know, I like your friend Lula," Grandma said. "She has some very specific ideas about how to catch a hottie and reel him in." A sly smile crept onto her wrinkled, fuchsia stained lips and she winked at Stephanie.

No, Stephanie thought, she did not want to know any of this and really did not want to hear the stories about just how they had been going about doing any of that. But something had happened to make her grandmother show up here instead of going home. She would have to find out about that.

. .

With Lenny gone and the kids at school, Mary Lou had some time to think. A cup of coffee in hand, she sat at the kitchen table staring out of the window. Sunlight streamed in, it was going to be another hot day. But Mary Lou was not seeing the brilliant light, was not thinking about the uncomfortable heat. She had an idea. Actually, she had several ideas. That was usually the way her brain worked, throwing out as many possibilities as it could because who knew which one, if any, would work. Working through it all was her only focus, Stephanie needed an answer and Mary Lou knew she could not rest until the mystery was solved.

Her own experience with a mystery package was guiding her decisions this morning. She remembered clearly her anticipation when she pulled everything out of the box on the day it had arrived. There had been so many unusual things to discover, so many hidden clues. She had been thrilled and curious and ready to uncover the mystery.

What she had seen on Stephanie's table had brought another set of reactions. Not the same excitement that she had experienced before, this time the whole thing had an urgent undertone to it. Mary Lou was convinced that whoever had sent the package had probably done so as a last resort. It was just possible that they desperately needed help and were relying on Stephanie to be able to figure out how to do that.

Even to Mary Lou, it seemed obvious why Stephanie had been chosen. Her friend was known in the burg, heck, everyone in Trenton and all of the surrounding cities knew about the bounty hunter who always got her man. Her fame, or infamy as the case may be, was talked about all the time. Who better to solve a mystery than the one woman who never gave up.

Mary Lou sat quietly, thinking hard. Her hands were resting on the table as she continued to work things out in her mind. Usually, she would be fidgeting, constantly in motion with her nervous energy. Lenny sometimes found it endearing how Mary Lou would tangle her fingers together, or tap her fingernails on any surface nearby, or even the way she would twist a strand of hair around her finger as she was thinking.

This morning, however, Mary Lou was motionless. In her mind she had examined each of her ideas, some she had been able to eliminate, but one, in particular, had now taken center stage. She knew what she had to do next, and it kind of scared her. Correction, it really scared her. A lot.

While she would have had no problem going to the Trenton Times office and asking to see their archives, or hunting down her old English teacher to ask him some of the very specific questions that she had, Mary Lou had set all of that aside. What she needed to do now was go to the same source that Stephanie had depended on so often. Ranger.

The easy thing would be to suggest to Stephanie that she go and talk to Ranger. They both knew that he was back in town, but after their talk last night, Mary Lou was very aware that the situation between Stephanie and Ranger was tenuous at best right now. How would her friend feel having to face the man she loved after he had behaved so strangely?

This thinking, or overthinking, which was also her tendency to do, had to end and Mary Lou suddenly stood, knocking her chair over in the process. Her determination to save Stephanie any more pain had taken over, it was time to make a call.

Mary Lou hurried to the living room where she had dropped her purse last night. She snatched up it and dug through it to find her phone. Where was the blasted thing? Frustrated, she dumped the contents on the couch to more easily locate the evasive phone. She did not care about the mess, did not even acknowledge it as she sat down with the phone now in her hand.

Though her determination was to follow through on her intention to help Stephanie, Mary Lou was nervous. Still scared to call the intimidating man that she had mostly seen from afar. She had met him once, an experience she would never forget as long as she lived, and the memory came back to her as clear as it had ever been.

Stephanie had told her about Ranger enough for her to know that he did not take any shit from anyone and that he could probably kill you with one look. Whether or not Mary Lou had believed it at the time was not the point. The day she had met the man she had seen it for herself. No, there was no way she could ever forget seeing Ranger in action for the first time.

One of the first times that Stephanie's job had landed her in the emergency room Mary Lou had arrived in time to see Ranger and Morelli in a standoff of sorts. Morelli, on his end, ranted like he always did. Yelling and wildly flinging his arms, he had very nearly punched Ranger in his anger and frustration. On his part, however, Ranger stood his ground with a deadly silence. The intensity of his glare had seemed powerful enough to bore a hole right through his target.

With a shudder, Mary Lou remembered being able to actually feel the anger that radiated away from the man who had been trying to protect her friend. One thing was certain, with her crazy life, Stephanie needed someone to watch out for her and Mary Lou was glad that Ranger was that person.

As much as she had enjoyed seeing Joe Morelli wilt under Ranger's savage looks and make a hasty retreat, Mary Lou had vowed to herself that night to never, ever make Ranger mad at her. She was quite sure that she would not be able to handle it.

Those memories fresh in her mind made her hands shake. "Get a grip,'' she said under her breath, lifting the phone. Mary Lou was shocked to see that the screen showed three missed calls. Last night. Her forehead wrinkled in confusion, missing the call would have been easy, the ringer had been turned off. It's just that she was usually so good about checking her phone for messages that worried her. How could she have missed this? There was a message now, from the same number of the missed calls.

It was not a number that she recognized, but someone had been trying hard to find her. Getting through the prompts of her voice mailbox, Mary Lou was completely unprepared for what she heard next. She knew who it was instantly. There was no mistaking that voice. Ranger. He was calling her. Needing her help.

Any hesitation she may have been feeling to make this call to Ranger evaporated immediately. Mary Lou just wished that she had seen this message earlier. She had been agonizing all morning over how to help Stephanie and once she had determined that she needed to talk to Ranger, her only concern was wondering if he would want to help her. Now a new worry gripped her. If he needed her help, what did that mean? She had hoped that Ranger would have access to the information that she was looking for, but she did not know what she could offer him.

Only one way to find out. Steeling herself with a deep breath, Mary Lou decided she had better find out. Connecting the call, she had to swallow hard to control the nerves that stirred restlessly in her gut. She listened to the first ring, and then the second and just before she was ready to hang up after the third ring, that voice came on. "Yo."

Mary Lou froze. She did not know why Ranger seemed to intimidate her so much, after all, this was the man who Stephanie had fallen in love with, but Mary Lou had never met anyone like Ranger before and she had to admit, he was not like most men.

Finally, she forced a few words out of her mouth. "You said you need to talk to me," she said. Her face burned with embarrassment, she sounded like an idiot. "I mean, this is Mary Lou, Stephanie's friend." Not much better, she silently admitted. Fortunately, Ranger spoke before she could do anything else to further embarrass herself.

"Mary Lou," he said. "Thank you for returning my call."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

 _Summer 2016, Asbury Park, NJ_

"That is so ugly," Ryan said, holding up a small postcard. Not sparing more than a few seconds to look at the black and white drawing on what was just another advertisement among the many. He tossed it carelessly onto the counter and continued to sift through the piles of junk mail.

There always seemed to be so much useless mail overflowing in the mailbox every time they came to Jeffrey's house. Ryan grunted his dissatisfaction. Trina barely concealed her smile. Ryan hated clutter, that was one of the first things that she had learned about him. It always made her laugh to see just how irritated he could get with something as silly as an overabundance of junk mail.

She picked up the postcard. Tillie's cartoon face grinned up at her. She had to agree, it was kind of ugly, but she looked forward to seeing this drawing every year. "Yeah, it is," Trina said, agreeing with his opinion. She turned the card over in her hands, looking searching, but not finding anything. It never failed to disappoint her, even when she knew that there wouldn't, actually couldn't, be any messages for her.

Trina tried to act casual about her interest in the card that Ryan had so callously discarded. "And it looks like there is another contest to see how many Tillie's you can spot around town," she said, trying to conceal her apparent interest in the small piece of paper.

Truthfully, finding Tillie was a real local tradition, Trina did not have to make that part up and that was the genius of Jeffrey's choosing these postcards. Thanks to Tony's Sausage and Dogs on the boardwalk, Tillie got renewed recognition every summer, but that was not why Trina was happy to see the postcard. Relief poured over her. Trina glanced over at Ryan who was busy tossing an armful of mail into the garbage. She slipped the postcard into her purse.

As long as these postcards kept showing up, she knew that Jeffrey was okay. It was part of his promise to her when he left, that he would send one every year. Maybe he had known that she would need these few moments of comfort to look forward to. He had been right, but the brief respite never lasted long enough before her worrying kicked into high gear again.

"You ready?" Ryan asked, his task of clearing the mail now finished. He grabbed his coat from the back of the chair and pulled out the keys. "If we hurry we can make it back in time."

He had not wanted to make the drive out here this weekend and it had been all that Trina could do to convince him that she needed to take care of a few things. She had to come, she had been looking forward to this week all year. Of course, that had not been something that she could share with Ryan.

Trina hated keeping secrets from her husband, but the safety of her brother overruled that objection. Jeffrey had been gone for so long. Far too long. What she wouldn't do to see him again. Trina was thinking about that more and more as the years passed. She had never imagined that it would take so long. On the night Jeffrey left he had made her promise that she would pretend that she thought he was dead. In return, he told her that he would confirm that everything was going okay with him by sending the Tillie postcards.

Without this annual confirmation, Trina knew that there would have been no way that she could continue on with the charade. This past year had felt particularly long. Trina now realized just how much this waiting had been wearing her down, and she wondered how she was going to get through another year.

Her hand rested on her purse as if needing that extra security of knowing the card was there. Ryan was impatient now and heading for the door. Trina watched him, hesitating briefly before she too grabbed her jacket and picked up her purse and followed him to the car. She hated to be rushed through these precious seconds of solace and tried not to resent him for not understanding something that he didn't, couldn't, know anything about.

That was not fair to him, she knew that, but it was still hard to push down the feelings that overwhelmed her anyway. She did not speak as she slipped into her seat and made a bit of a production of buckling her seat belt. Finally, she relaxed, getting her emotions under control once more.

She reached over slipping her hand under Ryan's where it rested on the gear shift. He gave her a little squeeze, keeping his eyes on the road. Back to normal. She sighed. Nothing about life had been fair or normal since the day Jeffrey left. Trina let her gaze linger on the house for as long as she could as they drove away.

. .

"Just a bit of a hangover," Grandma Mazur said as Stephanie handed her a glass of water and some painkillers. She took her time swallowing each pill separately and drinking every last bit of water in the glass. Stephanie watched her carefully, and it occurred to her that her grandmother was stalling. Whatever had happened last night, it was obvious that she did not want to talk about it.

Yes, she was a grown woman, and this was her business but Stephanie was worried. As much as she did not want to treat her grandmother like a child, as she had seen her parents do all too often, Stephanie was determined to figure out what had happened one way or another.

"I can make some coffee," Stephanie said, standing to go into the kitchen. "It's only the instant stuff, but it might help." Her grandmother nodded, adding a weak smile of thanks.

Stephanie moved into the other room. While the water was heating in the microwave, she pulled out her phone and texted her mother. 'Grandma is here. She is ok. I'll call soon.' Stephanie did not want her mother to worry any longer than she had to. Of course, she knew that her mom would have a ton of questions, but those were going to have to wait until later. She did not have any answers to give her. Not yet.

When Stephanie returned to the living room she found her grandmother laying back with her feet propped up on the coffee table. She had kicked off the painful looking heels and wrapped herself in the throw blanket that had been draped on the couch. Stephanie could see just how tired she looked and wondered if the coffee was a good idea right now. Maybe all Grandma Mazur needed was some sleep.

Sitting down next to her, Stephanie set the mugs on the table. "Are you alright?" she asked, staring at her grandmother's face. Even through all of the heavy eye makeup, she could see her red-rimmed and watery eyes. Just what had her grandmother been doing all night?

After a momentary stare down with her granddaughter, Edna Mazur made a decision. She may have come here to avoid getting the fifth degree from her own daughter, but this was not the time to burden her sweet granddaughter. Attempting a smile, she reached her hand out for the cup of coffee.

Stephanie quickly handed it to her, still unsure if it was what she really needed. "Careful," she said. "It's still hot."

Edna wrapped both hands around the mug. Taking it to her lips she hesitated before slowly taking a small sip. Once more, Stephanie knew that her grandmother was stalling again. Whatever her story was it must be a doozie, but there was no sense in trying to pry it out. Stephanie knew she just might have to go to the source and get the whole scoop from Lula. That would have to wait, however, she just did not have time for a conversation with Lula. Besides, if their night was as crazy as she imagined it was, it would be hours yet before her friend was even conscious.

Both ladies sat side by side, absorbed in their own thoughts as they sipped at the hot liquid. Suddenly, the uncomfortable silence was broken by a sleepy little hamster. Rex shuffled out of his soup can to search for some breakfast. He jumped onto the wobbly exercise wheel setting it in motion before he hopped off again to continue sniffing around. Seeing an excuse to avoid the discussion she did not want to have with Stephanie, Edna took advantage of the interruption.

She set her feet on the floor and leaned forward to put the mug on the table. Still wrapped in the small blanket, Edna stood and headed toward the kitchen. "Guess the little guy is hungry," she said over her shoulder. "You got any treats for him?"

Stephanie shrugged, that was always the question. She remembered that there were still a few grapes in the fridge and with the crumbs of hamster pellets in the bottom of the bag under the sink, it should make a decent breakfast for her furry friend. Getting up to follow her grandmother, Stephanie grabbed both of the mugs.

"Grapes," she was saying, taking a peek at Rex as she moved toward the kitchen. Fortunately, Stephanie looked up just in time, almost bumping into her grandmother who had stopped to stare at the mess on the kitchen table. Rex and his breakfast became momentarily forgotten.

"What'cha got going on over here?" Edna asked picking up the flute case. Stephanie moved past her to put the mugs on the counter. She quickly grabbed the best grape from the fridge and dropped it into the food bowl for Rex. Her grandmother was still poking around the table when Stephanie joined her.

Grandma Mazur set down the case as one of the newspaper articles grabbed her attention. She scanned it before putting it back, curiously picking up one thing after another. "This package was delivered yesterday," Stephanie said tapping the empty box. That earned a frantic look. Stephanie instantly realized how that must have sounded and attempted to put her grandmother's mind to rest.

"Don't worry," Stephanie said quickly. "Ranger checked it for explosives before we opened it."

Stephanie started to explain that she was already trying to find out more about Mr. Phillips when her grandmother picked up the journal. Her fingers lightly traced over the indentations of the missing letters. Stephanie stopped talking and watched Grandma Mazur with curiosity, she seemed to be so intense all of a sudden.

For several minutes her grandmother's interest was glued to this old book. Stephanie remained silent, there was something almost deliberate about how her grandmother was exploring the journal.

"I had a book like this when I was younger," Edna finally said. "Used to keep a journal once." Her voice had a faraway quality to it. Remembering.

All at once, her eyes met Stephanie's with a sparkle that had not been there before ."Used to hide things in my book," she was saying as she opened the old leather journal by the covers, winging them out and allowing the pages to fall open and spread out like a fan. Holding the book at shoulder height she turned so that Stephanie could see how the stiff leather of the spine had been forced open.

Stephanie was shocked. How many times had she held this book, searching page by page, scanning, reading, desperate to find a clue? Any clue that would help her make sense of this mystery. Now she peered into the gaping spine. It was not empty.

Her hand trembled as she lifted it to the book and poked a finger into the opening, dislodging a hidden piece paper. They both watched as it fell from the book. "Yep," her grandmother was saying. "That is how we used to pass secret notes to each other back in the day." She winked when Stephanie's eyes met hers again. After hearing Stephanie's brief explanation about the mystery box Edna knew that whatever was hidden here could be very interesting and she could not wait to find out what it was.

"Go on," Grandma Mazur said. "Read it!"

Picking up the narrow folded paper Stephanie did not hesitate to open it up. Unlike most of the other papers from the box, this one was not old. It was still white and crisp and the bright blue ink was not in the least bit faded. Surprise was written all over her face when she looked up at her grandmother. Grandma Mazur did not say anything this time, she just showed her impatience by waving her hand toward the paper.

No further prodding was needed, Stephanie took a breath and started to read out loud

" _To: Stephanie Plum_

 _My name is Trina Murphy and I need your help."_

To say that she was shocked would have been an enormous understatement. Stephanie was stunned into silence. Her voice trailed off though she continued to read it.

" _I need to find my brother. His name is Jeffrey Phillips and I'm afraid that he is in a lot of danger. If he is not already dead..."_

. .


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Leaving downtown Trenton, Ranger was anxious to find Stephanie. Heading toward her place, he hoped that she would still be home. Calling first before showing up at her apartment would have been a great idea, but he was not sure if she would want to see him.

A surprise attack might work out to his benefit so Stephanie would not have time to think about how stupid he had been the day before. Ranger would like to forget all about that too, it hadn't been his best moment. He would be making that up to her - sooner than later, he hoped.

No matter the complications, Ranger just wanted to see Stephanie again. Even if only for a few minutes

He was so deep in his thoughts, the buzzing in his pocket with the call that was coming in nearly went unnoticed. Frustrated with himself for leaving the phone in his jacket, it took longer than he expected to extract the phone from his pocket and Ranger almost missed the call completely. When he looked at the caller ID, he was immensely glad that he didn't.

Mary Lou. Well, he thought, she had certainly taken her sweet time getting back to him. That may have irritated him earlier, but now that he had her on the line, it no longer mattered, just as long as he could get some helpful information out of her. He hoped that her own experience, with the kind of mystery box that she had been given, she might be able to shed some light on how that whole business worked. Any insight could be of help in finding the origin of the package that had been delivered to Stephanie.

After answering the call, Ranger listened with amusement at how nervous Stephanie's friend sounded. He knew that he had that kind of effect on some people. Okay, he admitted, on most of the people he met. He could be intimidating, even when he wasn't trying to be, but that wasn't going to help with this conversation so he tried to soften his tone to put Mary Lou at ease.

After thanking her for returning his call and engaging in the kind of small talk people often did about the weather and such things, Ranger could see that it had worked, Mary Lou calmed down after a few moments. Now he could move into the important stuff and he steered his comments to the mystery box in question.

"Yes," Mary Lou said. "I know about the box, Stephanie showed it to me last night."

That explained a few things and Ranger could not have asked for a better situation. Since Mary Lou already knew about the package, it would save him from unnecessary explanations on his part. He could get right to the questions that he had for her, and that is exactly what he did.

"I understand that you solved a mystery from a box of your own not too long ago," he said. "Can you remember where it came from?"

Mary Lou did not hesitate, she named the company that sold the specialty mystery adventures and even though there had been no return address, she had noticed the name of the city that had been postmarked on the box. The excitement in her voice told Ranger that she was definitely in her comfort zone now.

"When I first heard about the boxes I thought they were more of an escape, a fantastical story to experience," she said. "The librarian at the school told me it was a great way to get the kids into reading, especially because my boys were struggling, but you don't need to hear about that.

"I did some research and that is where I found out that they had boxes with actual mysteries to be solved. I was so excited, I told Lenny all about it, and then he bought one as a surprise," she said before suddenly becoming silent. Ranger waited patiently for her to continue. Her voice was different now, not nearly so excited, Ranger noted that Mary Lou sounded worried.

"But the box that Stephanie got was so different than mine was," she said. Her words had even slowed as if she had given this a lot of thought. "It is very specific Ranger."

Before he could ask why Mary Lou gave him the answer. "We kept finding clues, and no matter how subtle they were, so many things pointed to Mr. Phillips," she said. Ranger was surprised at that, he remembered the box being filled with what appeared to be a bunch of old junk. Granted the priority at the time had been to determine if the package was safe. By the time they had looked at what was in the box, his emotions had played with him and made him act like a fool. All he wanted to do at that point was get away. Now he felt like even more of an idiot. He should have paid closer attention. Ranger was lost in his thoughts when Mary Lou went on.

"Someone went to a lot of trouble," she said. "At first it looked just like a professional mystery box, I have to say that I was impressed, it looked as good as mine." Her voice reflected the wonder and excitement she had felt with her gift, a fact that Ranger did not miss. That it was up to a professional standard had to mean something. "I think that whoever did this really wanted to keep it from looking like they were trying to personally contact anyone," Mary Lou said, pondering.

"Why do you think they would do that?" Ranger asked. He had his own theories, but he wanted to hear what Mary Lou thought.

"Probably to get Stephanie's help," Mary Lou said. "But I don't know why. Why Stephanie?" Ranger had his own ideas about that too, but the remained silent while Mary Lou kept talking.

"We knew him," she said. "He was our music teacher. Mr. Phillips left in our senior year of high school. We thought he was dead, so why would anyone be looking for him?"

Mary Lou hesitated, Ranger could hear the deep breath that she sucked into her lungs. "I think we need to find out everything we can about Mr. Phillips," she said, her voice wavering slightly. "Steph always said you had ways of gathering up all kinds of information. Is that possible now?"

She could not see the way his lips almost turned up into a smile. Obviously, she did not know that Stephanie had already gone that route, but Ranger was impressed that she would have the courage to ask him. Most of all, he could appreciate the fact that Stephanie had a really good friend in Mary Lou.

Another incoming call broke into his thoughts and Ranger glanced down at the screen on his phone. Sunlight reflected off of the smooth surface forcing him to tilt it to read the name displayed there. He had not expected this, but there was no way he was going to miss this call. Making his apologies to Mary Lou, he promised to call her right back.

Then he took a deep breath of his own, hit the button and put the phone to his ear.

"Stephanie?"

. .

 _Spring 2006. Trenton, NJ_

Why hadn't he thought of this before? Jeffrey Phillips stared down the road from his hiding place between the alleys on Stark Street. Working with informants (or their "sources") was the bread and butter for good reporters and after another lead had brought him down here, Jeffrey could see that a new story was developing.

Sure drug dealers had been setting up shop in these old buildings for years, not much of a secret since everyone in Trenton knew was what was going on in and around the neighborhood. Jeffrey had already written a few articles about the problem, but that was not what had him sneaking around in the shadows tonight.

If he could confirm what his informants had been telling him, he could blow the top off of the biggest crime ring in the state. All he had to do was identify the kingpin and that was what he was doing here right now. All of the rumors going around, he was told, had something big going down tonight. Something so big that the boss himself was going to be here.

Jeffrey could feel it, this could be his big break, the story that truly launched his career as a journalist. Every nerve was on high alert and his heart was pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears. He clutched the camera in his clammy hands as he fumbled to get it mounted on the tripod. His whole life had brought him to this moment. He was ready.

Wiping his hands on his jeans, Jeffrey took a deep breath. "Okay, Phillips," he whispered. "This is it!" Focusing the lens one more time, he snapped a shot just to see how it looked. Adjusting the shutter speed only took a second, another click, another shot. Good.

Shadows were at play across the way. The soft breeze, that cooled the sweat beading on his forehead, ruffled through the flaps of decaying awnings above the doors up and down the street. Sickly yellow light flickered from the only functioning street lamp on the street adding to the illusion that something was moving across the road. Jeffrey blinked his eyes a few times before staring again at the door that he had willed to open more times that he could count.

He had been here for hours. Every movement had him ready to jump right out of his skin. None of the information he had gathered could narrow down the time frame of this meeting. If it took much longer, though, Jeffrey would have to wonder if he had gotten it all wrong.

It would not be the first time and certainly, it would not be the last that his informants proved less than one hundred percent reliable. That was just part of the business and the main reason why he put so much time into his own research. But, he reasoned, if you didn't take any chances you would never know what you could uncover.

Determined, he kept his hand poised on the camera. Several times he clicked, to be sure it was still working. What he never did was pull out his phone to check what time it was. Proud of his incredible restraint, he stifled a small chuckle. Wouldn't that be the height of idiocy, lighting up the alley with a phone and giving away his position? No, unlike some of the rookie reporters he had run into, he had learned how to be stealthy.

It didn't really matter what time it was, though he figured that it was probably way after two in the morning by now. He was here for the duration. Only the rising of the sun would get him to leave his post. With a small internal pep talk to keep him going Jeffrey rolled his shoulders and steadied himself. It would all be worth it in the end. He had to believe that.

A white slice of light shot toward him as the door in question finally opened. Automatically his finger twitched on the shutter button. Click, click, click... taking a rapid succession of photos of the men walking through the door. Could this be what he had been waiting for?

After staring into the darkness for so long, this sudden glare had blinded him enough that he could not see any of the men clearly enough to identify them. Suddenly, shock stabbed through Jeffrey's gut. He didn't need to see one of the men, he knew exactly who it was. He had heard that voice before.

All at once it was impossible to breathe. Shrinking back he tried to blend into the wall that had hidden him in the shadows all night. There was no way that he could be seen. Not by this man. His career would be over before it started if he was discovered.

Jeffrey strained to hear what the voices were saying, he doubted that the recorder he had going could pick up the now muffled sounds. Intently he memorized each word that he heard. His next step would depend on getting it absolutely right.

The sounds of footsteps and conversation retreated now, but Jeffrey remained frozen in place. Car doors closed, engines growled into life and gradually faded into the distance. Only when the commotion was completely over did Jeffery allow himself to gather his equipment and sneak out of the alley.

This is not what he had expected. He had been right, though, a story like this could be the big break he had been working for. Taking risks was one thing but Jeffrey now had to make the biggest decision of his life.

. .

Helen Plum moved restlessly between the counter and kitchen table. Phone in hand, she ended another unanswered call. Every time she had tried to phone her daughter, the calls had gone directly to voicemail and she didn't know what to think. Stephanie had left her a message earlier but it had done little to alleviate her worries about Edna. What was her mother doing at Stephanie's? Was she okay? Why didn't she just come home?

Suddenly, Helen stopped pacing. She set her phone on the counter. Almost of its own volition, her hand inched itself toward her favorite cupboard. It was too early, she knew that, but a little liquid fortification might be just what she needed. She snatched it back, folding her arms in an effort to maintain control. Her concern for her mother aside, Helen was just getting frustrated by the whole thing. These antics and the crazy behavior had to stop or she was afraid that Frank was going to insist that they make Edna move out.

A drink was sounding pretty good right now, and Helen nearly caved in to the urge when the phone started ringing. She lunged at it up to answer the call. "Hello?" she said, "Stephanie?" When there was a slight pause on the other end of the line, Helen realized that she had not checked to see who was calling. "Who is this?"

"Is my girl Edna there?" a strange voice said. Helen froze, unsure whether or not to say anything. Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. The person on the phone cleared their voice loudly. "I am looking for Edna Mazur, is she there?"

Fear gripped Helen's chest and she hurriedly punched the button on the phone to end the call. Her heart was pounding, who was that? Now Helen was more than worried. Whatever her mother had been up to last night, Helen was scared that her troubles had followed her home this time.

When the phone rang again, Helen dropped it on the counter and ran out of the room. "Frank!" she shouted. No answer. "Frank!" she yelled again. Her steps took her out to the garage, maybe he was working on something out there. All she knew as she pushed the door open was that she did not want to be alone just now.

He wasn't there. Frank's car was gone and Helen remembered that he was out playing taxi again. What a time for him to be gone. Despair was overpowered by anger that was then displaced with determination. She would get to the bottom of this and find out just what had happened last night.

Without another thought, Helen ran back into the house to grab her purse and the keys to big blue. She hurried to the garage again, and with shaking hands started the car. Her nerves were stretched tight but the sound of the engine as it roared into life served to calm her somewhat.

She headed straight over to Stephanie's. If her mother would not come home, Helen reasoned, she would go to her. One way or another, she would have an answer before any more strange people started calling or, god forbid, came to the house looking for Edna.

Finally satisfied that she was doing the right thing, Helen relaxed just a bit. The air was already heating up this morning and the open windows were her only air conditioner, but she did not let it bother her, she would be to Stephanie's place soon enough.

Not two blocks from home, however, the car started making a horrible knocking sound. Helen pulled over to the curb but before she shut the engine off, she noticed the needle pointing to the big 'E' on the dashboard. Helen felt a new wave of frustration wash over her, of course, the car was empty.

"What else can possibly go wrong," she muttered. She turned the key, pulling it out of the ignition. Reaching for her purse, the answer to that question came to her when she realized that her phone was still at home.

"Great, just great," she said. Anger combined with her frustration and she continued to talk to herself as she got out of the car. "Am I the only one who remembers to fill the tank on this monstrosity?" Helen slammed the door and headed back to her house. "Why does this always happen to me?"

A few minutes later her face was red with exertion, and the heat and her annoyance. She was just grateful that no one that she knew has witnessed her little problem here this morning. She was in no mood to speak to anyone right now. Helen lifted her head and continued on, focusing on what she needed to do next. Maybe she would be delayed but she would not be defeated. She would get her answers.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

With the revelations in the letter Stephanie had found, thanks to Grandma Mazur. Stephanie once again found herself in the position of wanting to talk to Ranger. All of these clandestine clues seemed to highlight the fact that there was, or definitely could be an underlying danger in the prospect of finding Mr. Phillips.

She did not want to do this alone. Stephanie was worried and deep in her gut her spidey sense reminded her of what had led her to call in Ranger in the first place. She trusted him. No matter how unorthodox their friendship had always been, the one thing that she had always known was that Ranger would do anything he could to keep her safe.

After her incredible discovery in the journal, Grandma Mazur became otherwise occupied with her own examination of the remaining items from the mystery box. This left Stephanie with plenty of time to take a step back try to see these events from a different angle.

The agonizing pain over Ranger's apparent dismissal yesterday had not exactly eased. Her mind and her heart had still not been able to reconcile her own reaction to his strange behavior. While her heart felt fragile, it was her brain that was trying to reason through the whole scenario.

Stephanie walked away from her grandmother, her attention far away from the box now. In the small confines of her living room, she began pacing, this restlessness just another sign that there was something she was missing.

It had been months since they had seen each other and Stephanie admitted that the circumstances of their first meeting, after being apart for so long, had been less than ideal. Even at the time, she had not been all that excited about playing the part of the damsel in distress again. Of course, she knew that Ranger was the one person she could always rely on, but she had been dreaming of the moment that they would be together again in a much different way.

Over the past few months, daydreaming had let her create one vision after another of their passionate reunion. Funny how none of those dreams had ever included a bomb. Thinking about it now, Stephanie was willing to bet that this had not exactly been the way Ranger had pictured being with her again either.

Her steps slowed and she steadied herself with a hand on the back of the couch. The emotions rising in her chest were becoming a bit overwhelming. One thing she did know, with a surety that could not be disputed, was that in that first moment that he had been here, Ranger had wanted to hold her as much as she had wanted to wrap her arms around him.

Stephanie closed her eyes and relived that blissful moment. When he had walked into her apartment the familiar tingle down her back had been such welcome sensation. One of the many ways that Ranger always made her feel important, alive. Clearly, she had missed that connection to him more than she had realized. Did he feel the same? She wanted to believe so, and his initial actions proved her right, didn't they?

His arms had been so gentle, even if his embrace had the fierceness of never letting go. His lips had touched her head in a soft kiss, that sweet gesture said that he was there for more than just her safety. His fingers, so gentle on her lips, had told her not to worry. How had she ever doubted that he would want to be there for her, with her?

Their time together had been stolen away from them because of the stupid box. With this new perspective, Stephanie could see how the situation she had called Ranger into had dictated so much about their first meeting after being apart for what felt like an eternity.

The very real potential for danger always existed around her, that was something that had constantly annoyed Joe, but had never deterred Ranger. He had come. Stephanie was now able to let herself see that for what it was. Ranger was the only one she had even considered calling because he was all she had ever needed.

Dangerous situations aside, it was knowing that Ranger had always been in her corner that had allowed Stephanie to be herself. She moved around the couch now, her legs suddenly felt wobbly and she sank down onto the cushions. Staring unseeing at the wall in front of her, her thoughts continued to sort themselves out and she was coming up with a conclusion destined to rock her whole world.

There was only one thing to do. Again, Stephanie picked up her phone. No hesitation this time as she made the call and put the phone up to her ear to hear it ringing.

Her world aligned again when she heard him answer his phone. All it took was the sound of his voice to know everything was going to be alright. This is all she had wanted, and it was clear to her now that her dreams could be within her grasp after all.

"Stephanie?"

. .

Leaving the VFW behind, Lenny could not wait to get back and share what he had learned with Mary Lou. There was one more stop he had to make, however, and it took longer than he had expected. Finally, with a pile of papers in hand, Lenny opened the front door and walked into the quiet house.

"Mar?" he called out. Something felt off to him. Was it the whole situation today that made the skin prickle on his arms and the hair on the back of his neck to stand up? His eyes took in the spilled purse on the couch. His heart pounded as he moved quickly into the kitchen. Full panic kicked in when he saw the toppled chair laying on the floor. "Mary Lou!" he yelled. What had happened?

Lenny ran down the hall, bumping right into his wife who was coming out of the bathroom. "What the..." the words were knocked out as she lost her balance and fell backward onto the floor. "Lenny?"

Of course, he had not anticipated plowing into her and the papers he had been holding exploded into the air as he accidentally joined Mary Lou on the floor. Lenny threw his arms around her and hugged her close. His imagination must be running wild after all the talk about Mr. Phillips. There was no other explanation for the fear that had gripped his heart at the scene he had found when he had walked in.

"Oh good," Lenny finally said. He pulled away just enough for his eyes to search for signs of distress or damage. "You look okay."

Not entirely sure how to take that statement, Mary Lou glared up at her husband. She had been ready to say a few choice words after that but something about the way he was looking at her made her change her mind. She swallowed back any retorts. "Lenny?" she asked. "What's wrong?" Her hand lifted to his pale face, smoothing over the creases of concern on his forehead. She stared into his eyes wide with panic. "What happened?"

Mary Lou jumped up, practically pulling Lenny with her. "The kids?" she said breathlessly.

Calmer now, Lenny pulled her close. "No, no. Nothing like that," he said quietly. "I was just worried for a minute there, that's all."

Over his shoulder, Mary Lou could see the mess of papers covering most of the hallway floor. Curious, she leaned back in his arms. He looked better now, color had come back into his face. What was going on with him? And why was he home this early before lunch?

"Lenny?" she asked again.

He had a few questions of his own but Mary Lou seemed to be fine. As he looked into her eyes, Lenny lost himself like he often did. Finally, though, a few thoughts clicked into place and he remembered what he had to show her. "This," he said, stooping down to gather the scattered papers into a pile. "I wanted to show you this."

Taking one of the pages, Mary Lou scanned the newspaper article printed on it. Great minds, she realized. Here in her hands was an article about the disappearance of Mr. Phillips. Lenny had gone to the newspaper office to get these copies. Her heart warmed, the feeling completely filling her chest. Oh, how she loved this man.

With a deliberate effort she focused her attention back to the paper she was holding. Suddenly, something popped out at her. "Presumed dead." Presumed? She had always thought that he had died. There had been rumors at the time, she did remember that, but the counselors at the school had acted like the kids needed grief counseling, so it had been assumed that Mr. Phillips was not just gone, but that he was, in fact, dead.

Those memories were clear in her mind. Whispers between the faculty, tight lips as the administrators let the counselors deal with the aftermath of his disappearance. Words, she now understood, that had not been spoken. Something had been going on and they all knew about it. Mr. Dorell had been especially secretive during that time.

When the yearbook staff offered to work on the memorial page for Mr. Phillips, they had been told that the administrators were interested in taking care of that task. It had seemed reasonable at the time in some strange way, but now she could not help but wonder how much the students and their parents, even the whole community, had not been told about the confusing incident.

Lenny touched her arm, turning her toward him and breaking Mary Lou out of her thoughts. Their eyes met. Questions in hers and the promise of answers in his. "Lets go sit down," he said, guiding her back to the kitchen where he lifted the fallen chair. He swallowed down the memory of the fear he had felt when he first saw it and helped her to sit down.

Mary Lou watched him as he joined her at the table. She waited for him to share what he obviously knew. "I went to the VFW this morning," he said, his hands now busy shuffling the papers into order. "Then I stopped by and talked to Brenda."

She was still putting the pieces together, but it brought a smile to her lips to know that Lenny had been doing all of these things this morning. It had been Brenda that Mary Lou had intended to see at the Trenton Times. Lenny's family was huge and a tight-knit bunch, Brenda was one of his cousins. Mary Lou had been pretty sure that it would have been easy to ask her for the information she needed.

"We looked up all of the articles that had been written about Mr. Phillips," Lenny was saying. "I wanted to see them because I couldn't remember everything that had happened back then." he shrugged, a little habit of his that Mary Lou found especially endearing right now. Her smile broadened. She really loved this man! And for a split second, she could not help but compare her husband to Stephanie's Ranger.

She would take her quirky and adorable husband over strong and brooding any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Her hand reached out and touched Lenny's. Their fingers entwined, a reaction that he did not even have to think about. It was just natural and so comforting to have that connection whenever he was with her.

"Mr. Cudney said something this morning that I can't get out of my mind now," he said. "It was as if after all this time he wanted to finally say that there was something wrong with how Mr. Phillips disappeared." That got Mary Lou's attention and she felt a new anxiety as she waited to hear what Lenny had to say next.

"He mentioned that Mr. Phillips was secretly working as a reporter and the story he had been working on had something to do with the drug dealing down on Stark street," Lenny said, absently pulling his hand from hers and running it through his hair. This told Mary Lou that Lenny was nervous, another reason that she was getting worried.

"It just seems that there was a lot more to the story than just drugs. I sat there feeling that they all knew something that I didn't and then Mr. Cudney said they told Phillips not to go there." Lenny seemed to cringe before he finished the thought. "I thought that he meant not to go to Stark Street because everyone knows that it's dangerous there."

Turning his whole body to face hers, Lenny seemed to be searching her face for her reaction. "That's easy to misunderstand, isn't it?" His fingers gripped hers again. "But what if it was something else, not an actual place but something like... like a much bigger situation?"

Mary Lou tilted her head in consideration. "Like he was poking into things that he shouldn't have?" she asked. "But like what?"

Lenny dropped his gaze to the pile of papers on the table. "They didn't say, not outright," he said. "But they all knew that something was going on."

The pages were back in order and Lenny handed half of the pile to Mary Lou. "I thought that maybe if we read these with a new perspective we might discover something that will help Stephanie find what she needs to know."

This was her sweet, caring Lenny. Mary Lou felt her heart expand with her with love and appreciation for this wonderful husband of hers. He did not have to take his time to help her, to help Stephanie. But he had, and it was worth so much more than she could put a value to.

Maybe Ranger and his search programs would find more details, and Mary Lou was more than thrilled that he was helping Stephanie. Whatever she and Lenny could discover in the papers he had brought home could move them all a step closer to finding what was needed, but that was no longer the point for her now. She had never been more grateful for or more absolutely proud of Lenny.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Tank stood in front of the wall that held the huge electronic map. Tracker signals blinked red as they moved around on the large map of Trenton. The trucks out on service calls were marked with numbers assigned to the RangeMan fleet. Other vehicles were also being tracked, for safety purposes, but Tank could not help but smile as he watched Ranger's tracker moving. Identified with the letter 'M' Tank followed its progress long enough to see where his friend's car was heading.

"Good," he said. "It's about damn time." He allowed a small chuckle before resuming his checks. After yesterday's disaster, it could only be a good thing that Ranger had decided he was not going to wait to make things right with Stephanie. At least that is what Tank hoped was going on.

His thoughts were interrupted by Hector who walked over and handed him a small piece of paper. The shorter man nodded his head toward the note and said. "You want to read this. Now!" Then he turned and walked away. After a quick glance at the note, Tank tossed his clipboard on the table and headed down the hall.

Everyone at RangeMan knew to get out of the way when Tank was in a hurry. Woody and Lester ducked into doorways as the large man passed by them. If he noticed, Tank gave no sign. It was a normal enough occurrence. He just continued down the hall to his office, his mind on other things.

He was trying to analyze the message written on the paper in his hand. This voicemail had come in on Ranger's line and in his absence, it had been passed along to Tank. He reached his office and sat behind the desk placing the paper next to the phone.

Tank read the note several more times and could not help but feel that it sounded a bit cryptic. In their world, that could mean it was either very dangerous or very important. Or a bit of both, so Tank felt it best to let Ranger know about it as soon as possible. He lifted the phone receiver, holding it suspended in the air as he read the note one more time.

" _Ranger, you forgot your coat and your phone."_ No way, Tank thought. It was too warm for a jacket and Ranger never forgot his phone. " _Had to go,"_ the message continued. " _So I left them with Jerry at the security desk. See you when I get back, coffee is on you next time. Eric"_

Before Tank started to dial Ranger's number, he changed his mind. He could share the message over the phone but sometimes actually reading the words yourself gave clues that could otherwise be missed. Tank placed the phone back in its cradle and pulled out his cell phone. Moments later Eric's message had been sent to Ranger, on the phone he supposedly "left" at Eric's office. Nice touch he thought and Tank sat back to wait. He did not have to wait long. His phone buzzed in his hand.

No surprise, Ranger had known exactly what Tank had done. He also knew what had to happen next. The conversation was short and Tank left his office just minutes after he had entered it. Again, the halls were clear as he headed to the garage. No one asked where he was going. If they needed to know he would tell them.

RangeMan was a well-oiled machine. With both Ranger and Tank gone, the chain of command simply shifted. It now fell on Lester to be in charge. Hector came to fill the spot Lester left. Everyone moving into place.

The red dot marked with "T" started blinking. Lester watched it move over the map heading downtown. After another minute, he turned his attention to the job at hand and picked up the clipboard. Back to work.

. .

Lula stared at the phone in her hand. The numbers looked blurry, but they cleared up a little when she blinked several times. It had been a rough night, but she was awake enough now to know that Edna should have been home by now.

Hanging out with Stephanie's granny had not been her plan last night, but when she had shown up at the office looking for Stephanie, they had hit it off and decided to go for it. Lula rolled her neck a few times and tried to remember how she had gotten home herself.

"No, uh uh," Lula muttered. "None of this thinking stuff without some java." Her leopard print slippers scuffed along the floor and she haphazardly shoved her arms into the sleeves of her short silk robe as she made her way over to the coffee maker on the bureau.

A few minutes later she sipped the freshly brewed cup of coffee and lowered herself down into her favorite overstuffed chair. She would sit here and relax while her brain kicked into gear. After another sip, Lula leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She knew she had made a promise to Edna last night, hence the call to her this morning, but Lula just could not wrap her mind around it enough to know why.

Slowly the events of the previous evening came into focus. Her plans to go out and meet up with some of her girlfriends had just fallen through when Edna had walked into the bonds office looking for Stephanie. Lula had been sorry to turn her away, but Stephanie had been gone for hours and Connie was already gone so she had no idea how to help her.

Lula looked up and caught a glimpse of the electric blue spandex dress that she had been wearing to work yesterday, the one that Edna had complimented her on. A whole conversation about fashion choices had ensued and before they knew it, plans to go out together for the evening had been made.

She smiled, almost laughed right out loud at the images that were now popping into her mind. First was the makeover complete with clothes and makeup. Edna had tried on a dozen outfits before they both agreed on the neon green number with matching shoes. Dressed to kill, the ladies had ventured out to find a few hotties to spend the evening with.

Edna had been a blast to skip bars with. It was all coming back to her and Lula did laugh this time. Who knew the lady was so sassy and downright funny? Lula had not had so much fun in she couldn't even remember when.

They had been out late, that much she could clearly remember, but the end of their outing was still hazy in her head. Concentrating so hard was only giving her a headache so Lula opted for another cup of coffee to clean out the cobwebs.

Flashes of some of her memories started coming faster and faster. Nothing made sense at first but when she put it all together, Lula nearly choked on her last swallow. "OMG! OMG!" she repeated over and over while she found some clothes to wear and searched for her car keys. "I gotta find my girl in a fast hurry."

Grabbing her phone, she found the number Edna had added to her contact list. They really needed to talk and soon. If she was right, they could still have a big mess to deal with this morning. Was it too late for them to claim temporary insanity?

. .

Nothing about this morning had been what he had expected. When Ranger had headed to Stephanie's apartment after meeting with Eric, it had been with one simple goal. Winning her favor may still be the most important objective of all but after his conversations with Tank, just now, a whole new picture was developing. Mary Lou's call had added a few more details to that picture but now Ranger had other things on his mind.

The last thing he had expected was to see Stephanie's name on the caller ID. When Ranger quickly ended his conversation with Mary Lou, he felt his fingers tighten around the phone. Stephanie was calling him. The shock that ran through him ignited all kinds of feelings and crazy thoughts. Though he had no idea what this call would be about, his heart started to fill with hope.

Maybe Ranger had secretly wished for this, but he had never believed that it could happen. After everything that he had done lately, it really did something to his heart to know that Stephanie still trusted him enough that he was the one she could reach out to - for any reason. Ranger considered this call a gift, God knows he had agonized enough over how to contact her, and now she had handed this opening to him on a silver platter.

"Stephanie?" he said, trying to keep his voice level as if he was unaffected by the emotions that he was currently experiencing. "What can I do for you?"

The pause on the other end of the line spoke volumes. She had to know that he was aware of the search she had done. He wanted to smile at how nervous that might have made her. Finally, Stephanie found her voice.

"Ranger," she said, pausing again. "I, uh we found something," she said. "I think you need to see it, can you come to my place?" The mix of excitement and fear that he could hear in her words had Ranger stepping on the gas. She had no way of knowing that he had already been headed in her direction, so her next words finally brought out the smile that had been teasing his lips.

"Like now, can you come now?" she asked.

"Is everything okay?" Ranger could not help but ask. His smile disappeared, fear suddenly rising to the top of his emotions.

"No, no!" she said quickly. "We're alright."

"I'll be there in five minutes," Ranger said, relief lifting his spirits again. "Is that soon enough?" he asked, hiding the laugh behind his words.

Had she stopped to calculate how long it would take for him to reach her apartment from his office on Haywood, Stephanie might have guessed that he was already close to her. Instead, she just sounded relieved.

Oh, good!" the words rushed out of her lungs as if she had been holding in a breath. "Thank you, Ranger," she said. "See you soon then."

Those five minutes turned into three as Ranger rapidly covered the distance to her place. His chest was still filled with a crazy mix of emotions. Hope still lingered, now accompanied by excitement, worry, apprehension. It was a good thing he had been this close, having any more time to think would have driven him insane.

When Ranger stepped out of the stairwell the door was open and Stephanie's grandmother was standing there. Not exactly the welcome that he had been picturing in his mind since talking to Stephanie. Of course, now the 'we' from "we found something" made sense. He nodded his greeting to Mrs. Mazur and followed her into Stephanie's apartment.

"Okay, Stephanie," Grandma Mazur said as they made their way into the kitchen. "He's here. Let's do this thing."

His first look at Stephanie filled Ranger's heart and mind with a level of happiness that he had never expected to find in his lifetime. Her eyes glistened as she turned to look up at him, the blue nearly electric in its intensity. Her lips were open in a breathless smile that took his own breath away. But what she did next was almost his undoing.

Stephanie took a tentative step away from the table, he detected a hesitation so slight that he was not sure it had happened at all before she launched herself into his arms. "Ranger." His name on her lips had not been more than a whisper, but to him, it sounded like a prayer.

As her arms flung around his neck, his arms, in turn, enfolded her and pulled her close. He held her hard enough against his chest that he knew she could feel his pounding heart. He lowered his head until it was gently resting on hers. Time stood still, wonder filled his soul. Stephanie had healed the cracks in his heart with a single word. It was so much more than he could have ever hoped for.

His arms tightened around her, he never wanted to let her go. Stephanie seemed to be just fine with that too. Ranger had no idea how long they stayed that way, content in the hug that neither of them had been sure would happen. The world dropped away until an impatient cough brought them both back to this time and place.

With a sweet kiss to his neck, Stephanie pulled back, her reluctance to release him was evident in her expression and the way her hands lingered as she slid them down his arms. Ranger loosened his hold on her and they both turned toward Grandma Mazur.

"The note is here," she said matter of factly as if she had not interrupted the most important moment of both Stephanie and Ranger's lives.

With effort, Stephanie collected her wits and picked up the folded paper. "We found this in the spine of that book," she said, pointing to the old journal. Stephanie pulled open the accordion style folds and handed the paper to Ranger.

He took it from her, his gaze switching back and forth between the ladies. The fact that Stephanie was so often a magnet for the crazies in town, always left him not knowing what to expect and as he now recalled, her grandmother had much the same effect in her own life. It was easy to see why he could feel the apprehension that was rising in his chest. Neither Stephanie nor her grandmother had given him any idea what this letter could be about so he read it in silence trying to judge the tone and intent of the message.

With every line, however, he felt an unexpected calm soothe over the anxiety. Warmth spread through his chest, pride. He could see that it had been Stephanie's indisputable record that had garnered the attention of the author of this note. After all the media coverage and the rumors that traveled around the burg, it had been Stephanie's tenacity and her kindness that had been recognized. By the end of the message Ranger was more than convinced that this Trina Murphy did indeed need Stephanie's help.

"Well," Ranger said, carefully folding the paper and handing it back to Stephanie. "We better let her know that we are ready to help."

Without warning, Stephanie's arms were hugging him tight again.

"Babe," he said softly. One hand circled her waist. The other smoothed her hair as he tilted her head back to kiss her.

"Ahem!" Edna said. "I'm still here."

Chagrined but not overly eager to let Stephanie go again, Ranger broke the kiss. When their eyes met, his smile was sweet and almost shy. Stephanie's heart melted just a little bit more like it had been from the moment he had walked in her door.

"Let's do this," he said, turning and smiling at Stephanie's grandmother as he repeated her words.

"Damn right!"

. .


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

 _Location unknown. Six months ago._

Clear skies boasted a bright full moon hanging high in the black ink sky. Tiny dots of light, billions of them, were scattered from one horizon to the other. On other occasions Jeffrey had admired - no that was too small a word - he was in complete awe of the magnitude of the heavens above. Nowhere else he had ever been had allowed the stars to be seen like this.

Too often gazing at the skies made him homesick and so alone. How he wished Trina could share this view with him. As the years passed, he even came to ignore the magnificence above him, it had become too painful. Tonight, however, the sight was going unnoticed for another reason. There was just no time for it.

Jeffrey scooted into the narrow bench seat. The small kitchen table was just wide enough for his laptop and a cup of coffee. He settled into the seat and took a look around the small camper shell that had become his temporary housing. This latest job had required that he bring his own lodging with him to the remote site and he had considered himself lucky to have found this truck with its new slide-in trailer. Cash payments still carried some weight and that was something that Jeffrey had. Cash. Lots of it. And because of that, he had been able to get a sweet deal on this little camper.

As compact as it was, Jeffrey was very pleased with the accommodations. His lips curled into a small smirk, this was better than many of the places he'd had to stay in over the past few years. There was even a decent shower and he had already taken full advantage of it tonight. It had been perfect after the long, dirty day of work. Construction was his job, but now that he had time to himself, his real work could begin.

Thankfully, he was able to get an internet connection that was pretty good. The clear skies may have played a significant part in that. So Jeffrey settled in to get busy. His eyes scanned one page after another, always looking for the specific names that he was following.

As he searched, his mind went back to that night so long ago when he had first become aware of the dangerous political games being played in New Jersey. His attempts to expose the criminals responsible for so much corruption had resulted in this state of limbo he currently lived in. Crime, he discovered, could be found in the most unusual places. In places it had no business being - like the school board.

Jeffrey had been to several of the school board meetings during his years of teaching, especially when policy or curriculum was on the agenda. That is why so many teachers had been in attendance that night so long ago. They had all talked about it, agreeing to come out in force to let the administration know how they felt about the programs being forced on them. A heated discussion was to be expected under the circumstances, but there had definitely been something odd about that night.

At the time, Jeffrey had not known about Warren Holmes and his ambitions. He had only been able to recognize that the superintendent and the whole school board seemed to be playing by a new set of rules. Sure enough, after hearing from the crowd in a loud and sometimes angry discourse, the board left the meeting with the public's input and proceeded to go right ahead and do what they wanted to do.

It had angered Jeffrey's fellow teachers. No one had wanted the reading program that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and that would require sending so many teachers all the way to California for training. Especially when the teachers had presented information about three other programs that would have been more effective. Programs that did not come with price tags so high.

Only later, after a lot of digging did Jeffrey find evidence of the connections to the mob and their money laundering schemes. It was easy to look back now and realize that every single one of his sources had warned him off of the story he had been so intent on pursuing. Finally, though, he had listened to them. The only reason he was still alive today was because he had begun to understand the dangers and had taken precautions. His sudden departure saved many people in Trenton, he could acknowledge that, but that did not mean that Jeffrey had been happy about leaving.

An old familiar flush of anger heated his face. He felt so helpless back then. Though he had uncovered the tip of the ice burg, so to speak, Jeffrey had only been able to find enough to expose a few of the players. It made a great story, but not much more than that. Granted, at one time the recognition he got from it would have been enough for him. Now, however, Jeffrey knew that unless the whole scheme could be exposed and destroyed, the players could change, but the plans would continue and too much damage would be done.

This was the burden that he had accepted when he left. Little did he know that his drive to stop that from happening would cost him so dearly. Experienced fingers moved rapidly over the keyboard. For years now it had been the same thing, searching out familiar names, tracking activities, careers. Always, however, before following the key players Jeffrey started his searches with his sister. Information about Trina was the only kind of lifeline he had to her.

Trina was enjoying success with the Philadelphia orchestra, how proud his mother would have been. Current pictures and accolades were added to the file Jeffrey kept on Trina. His heart ached. Jeffrey had not been to any of her professional performances. He had not been able to show her support in any way, and that killed him. For better or worse, music had been such a huge part of both of their lives growing up. Trina had worked so hard, and it had paid off for her. He wished he could have shared the triumphs with her.

At least he had been able to say goodbye to her before his hasty exit from existence. Those brief moments were all he had to remember her by. The tears and the promises. Jeffrey would never be able to forget the look in her eyes when she realized what he was telling her. He was going to be gone, and she had to pretend that she knew he was dead. What a burden to place on the one person in all the world that you loved.

His promise to Trina, to send the postcards every year, had been the one reassurance he could give her that he was okay. No other contact would be possible, not if he were to keep his sister safe. And not if he was going to be able to bring down the men who would tear the country apart if they ever rose to the positions of power they were aiming for. It had worked all this time, but what a price they both had to pay.

Shadows closed in around the glow of the computer screen. Jeffrey felt the weight of his latest decision heavy on his heart. This small space seemed to shrink even more, swallowing him up and making it hard for him to draw his next breath. Everything had come to this, he could not stop it.

Soon Jeffrey was going to have to break Trina's heart all over again.

. .

Eric looked down at the blanket of clouds that stretched out as far as the eye could see. At 35,000 feet, he was mulling over the question posed to him this morning. Ever since he and Ranger had their little chat, Eric had been doing a lot of this pondering. Becoming aware of what had been happening, right under his nose, had started taking a toll on him.

Even Ranger had not known the magnitude of what his questions had meant. Eric was just glad that his friend had understood how sensitive these kinds of things could be. Ranger had not pushed for information that they both knew could be considered classified or top secret and Eric sent him away with not much more than a promise to look into things. The truth was, Eric had heard of Jeffrey Phillips. Just not so very long ago. This name had come up less than a month ago.

Turbulence bounced the plane and Eric shifted in his seat, tightening the buckle of the seatbelt. Flying did not scare him, but there were monstrous butterflies attacking his gut right now. Privacy was one thing in the witness protection program, secrecy, however, was quite another matter. Hearing Phillip's name had been accidental and Eric now knew of a surety that he had not been meant to know anything about the man.

Ranger's inquiry had set off a series of events and Eric knew that there was no going back. He wanted to find out everything he could about the Jeffrey Phillips situation for Ranger. His biggest problem had been that time was not on his side. Between saying goodbye to Ranger and walking down the hall to his office Eric used the few minutes he had to come up with a plan to get the information. And that is exactly what he did.

Again, Eric closed his eyes, concentrating. He replayed those few minutes in the office this morning. He needed to understand everything that had been said and seen. If there were any clues he had missed in his boss's behavior, he had better figure it out right now.

With some effort, Eric wiped all traces of concern from his face before he made it back to the office. Instead of the blank expression people in his profession were known for, Eric now wore a carefree smile. Ready for phase one of his hasty plan.

"Hey Eric," Mac said when Eric walked through the door. "Where'ya been?"

Eric raised the red cup in his hand. "Coffee," he said, setting his plan in motion. "Arlo is out there this morning," Eric said, indicating that their favorite coffee vendor was on the corner this morning. "Want me to go grab some for you?" Eric asked with his big smile, turning to go back towards the door.

This generous offer, made so innocently, would most certainly be turned down and Eric knew it. He had counted on it. Mac liked the special blend that Arlo had concocted just for him and no one else seemed to be able to ask for it when they offered to go on a coffee run.

"No! Uh," Mac stumbled over the words. "Thanks, but don't you have to be leaving soon?"

Nodding, Eric opened the door for Mac and Brian who had then joined them just in time to go grab a cup for himself. "Okay then." Eric waved them off and closed the door. Without missing a beat he rushed into Mac's office. He could count on at least fifteen minutes before they got back, Arlo was an artist and would not be rushed in his creation of the perfect cup of Joe. Eric was counting on that too, he could squeeze that much time out to do a little search before they got back

.

Standing next to the desk, Eric took a look around. If this was indeed some off the record deal that Mac was involved with, there would not be any official files. This did create a challenge, but he knew his boss enough to know that he had to write details down or he would forget them. Somewhere in here, there had to be something he could look at.

There really had not been time to conduct a thorough search, especially if he wanted to keep the office looking like nothing had been disturbed. Mac was meticulous and he would notice the smallest detail out of place, and today Mac's habits would work in Eric's favor.

With an eye for just such details, Eric scanned the room. He had been in here enough he hoped to be able to spot anything that did not belong. In less than a minute Eric found what he had been looking for and he hurried to the other side of the room. Carefully he pulled Mac's old battered briefcase out from between the two bookshelves.

This old thing had been replaced with the new shiny one that Mac's wife gave him for their anniversary last year. The one currently sitting in its place of honor next to the desk. The retired case reappearing after all this time had to mean something.

Eric tried the worn clasp, the case opened. Setting it on the floor, he lifted the lid and looked at what was inside. Seeing the name he was looking for confirmed that this is what he needed. Pulling a small phone from his pocket he proceeded to snap pictures of every single paper he found hidden here.

Making sure everything was put back the way he found it, Eric left Mac's office and grabbed his coat. He pushed the door open and headed down the hall. With a single phone call, the last part of his plan had been put into place and he hurried back to the office.

Mac and Brian walked in just in time to wish him well on his new assignment. Eric grabbed the last of the things he would need and waved goodbye as he left. He did not take a full breath again until he was out of the building.

The plane would be landing in just under two hours, Eric had time to sort through the details that he had uncovered. Unlike Mac, Eric had a very good memory and he reviewed all the information that he had found in the briefcase. The picture that it painted was not pretty.

Now the only thing that Eric could conclude was that Mac was good. Other than that overheard conversation, there had not been any other evidence of his doing anything about Jeffrey Phillips. The deception galled Eric. He had trusted his boss.

By the time Eric had reviewed everything he knew, all he wanted was to confront his boss. Possibly with a fist to his face. Why would he be involved with someone like Warren Holmes? The Mayor's public image may have fooled many, but Eric had never liked the man. Rumors among the marshal's ranks had Holmes connected to members of the local crime families.

What was Mac doing getting involved with something like this? It was obvious from the information Eric had found that Mac was assisting someone in finding Mr. Phillips. Sure, the resources were here to do that, but why would Mac agree to do it?

Disappointment in someone he had known for so long cut deep. Eric would never have believed it if he had not seen things with his own eyes. What Mac was doing was not just possibly illegal, but as far as Eric was concerned, it was immoral. Could his boss, his friend, really be capable of this.

Actually, now that he had reason to think about it, Eric had been aware of some changes in the way Mac had been acting in past weeks. Sudden appointments outside the office, nervous glances every time someone entered the office, whispered phone conversations. At first, Eric had wondered if Mac was having marital problems. That would explain a lot, but Cheryl had stopped into the office just last week and nothing seemed tense between them.

Eric now realized that Mac had been acting more and more reserved and secretive all month. If it wasn't his marriage, it had to be his job, but there was only so much about the nature of their work that could keep him wound up so tight. Eric was more convinced than ever that there was definitely something else going on with his boss and he spent the remainder of the flight wondering just how much he did not know about the man he had been working with for years.

Every expression, every conversation, every assignment came under a brand new scrutiny. Eric did not want to believe the worst about the man he had looked up to but, in light of what Ranger had brought to him, he had to find some answers. Being able to see that there had, indeed, been clues along the way to show a change in Mac's character was unsettling.

What a terrible position to be in. Another plan needed to be put into place and Eric was now counting on Ranger to help him with that. He hoped that the information he had left for him would help Ranger see that he needed to uncover more details about what was going on. When he landed, Eric anticipated that they would have an interesting conversation about Mac and the mystery man Jeffrey Phillips.

And then they would have to decide what to do about it. Eric sighed and continued to stare out of the tiny window. This was going to be a long flight.

. .


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Tomorrow was it. Trina gave a valiant effort to steady her hands as she packed up her violin. She had been a total wreak since the day that box had been mailed. She slowly drew in a deep breath to calm her frayed nerves. Back to playing normal, she told herself.

Anyone watching her could just assume that she was frazzled because the practice had gone overtime again and the fact that Ryan would be outside impatiently waiting for her. Trina was always conscious of what people around her might think. All through these years she constantly worried that she and Ryan were being watched. At all times. Imagining that someone was always watching was actually one of her little tricks to keep her act going.

In any event, being late was never fun and Trina was getting a little impatient herself. Tonight was for Ryan, the calm before the storm. After tomorrow, she would no longer have to hide her secrets from him. She was both excited and terrified by this one little detail, but there was no way around it now. Jeffrey needed her help and she needed Ryan on her side. Trina drew in a deep breath. It was one thing to know she risked her own safety to find her brother but it was something else entirely to put her husband at risk. As hard as she tried, she could not control the shudder of fear that shook her body.

Trina fought for some control as she picked up her purse and violin case. Hugging the case tight in her arms helped somehow and Trina hurried out of the auditorium. She tried on a smile, back to playing her part, she would try to enjoy the evening, though her thoughts were constantly on the plans she had for the rest of the weekend. Of course, only Trina knew about them. For as long as she could, she wanted to keep Ryan safe. As always, the less Ryan knew the better. It had killed her to keep so much from him all these years, she just hoped that after tomorrow he would understand why she had.

The lobby glowed from the low evening light. Trina moved quickly across the marble floors but stopped briefly before pushing open the door. "Showtime," she whispered under her breath. After years of practice, it was easy, she deliberately relaxed the stiffness in her back, the rigid set of her jaw. Acting normal, looking normal. Her smile wavered, but only for a moment as she dug deep for the control she needed to get on with her plans.

In twenty-four hours she would see if this Stephanie Plum was as good as she hoped she was. She had to be, Jeffrey's life might depend on it. Trina had done her homework on Miss Plum. On several people, actually. Though she had to discard several of them. She knew that hiring a detective could be too obvious and law enforcement was out of the question because of something that Jeffrey had said before he left. It was clear to her that he did not trust all of them.

So, luckily, Trina had found out about Stephanie Plum. Desperately looking for something that might help her find her brother, Trina did regular searches of all of the local papers. Through the years, she could only hope it was a good sign that she had not found a single word printed about Jeffrey since the day he left. All the same, she kept looking just to be sure. Then, recently, she had seen one article after another written about the bounty hunter who never gave up.

Most of the stories were rather comical. The poor girl seemed to get into so much trouble doing her job, but she always came out on top in the end. That impressed Trina, she needed that kind of chutzpah and determined grit if she had any chance of finding Jeffrey. More than that, however, once Trina had learned about Miss Plum, she became aware of the rumors and gossip floating around about her. It was through these rather unconventional sources Trina realized that this bounty hunter had a heart of gold. What the newspapers never mentioned the gossip mills filled in. Stephanie Plum cared about the people she searched for. That was exactly who Trina needed.

Now all she had to do is hope that Miss Plum could figure out the clues in the box she had sent. The meeting place and time were in there, but Trina had only been able to include the barest of bits of information to lead the bounty hunter first to her and then to Jeffrey. Her fear of the box being intercepted or seen by the wrong person led Trina to play this clandestine game. But she did not have enough clues to get to Jeffrey herself, especially if she was being followed. And that was why Trina knew she would have to rely on the bounty hunter to find her brother for her.

. .

"Hey Jerry!" Tank entered the building and raised a hand in greeting to one of the uniformed guards near the door. Taking his place in the security line, Tank watched as Jerry waved a woman through the gate, handing her purse to her as she reached the other side.

Tank had to duck his head under the electronic arch and both he and Jerry shared a small laugh. Jerry was, himself, a tall man and he understood how annoying that could be. Tank straightened and took a few steps over to the side of the station to be out of the way in case anyone else came through behind him. Jerry joined him and offered his hand for a quick fist bump.

"So what brings you here today?" Jerry asked. The lobby was clear of visitors for the time being so they had a moment to talk. It was a common enough thing to see the guys from RangeMan in the building, Jerry knew most of them and always appreciated the work that they did. Made his job a bit easier.

Tank was not a man to mince words. Especially when there was an urgency to his mission. "Eric called," Tank said. "Said that Ranger forgot his jacket."

Jerry nodded in acknowledgment and retrieved the jacket from behind the counter. "Yeah, Eric brought it up, guess he just missed Ranger," he was saying as he handed it over to Tank. "Thought it was strange, since it's not his usual RangeMan jacket, so I'm sure he will be glad to have it back."

Throwing the lightweight jacket over his arm, Tank checked to see that the phone was still in the pocket. Feeling the weight and size that was consistent with a cell phone, he smiled and gave Jerry another fist bump. "Thanks, man," he said. "Appreciate you hanging on to it for him."

Sunlight streamed in through the door as they were interrupted by some incoming visitors. Jerry nodded and shrugged. "Back to work," he said quietly.

Keys clinked in the metal tray and hushed words faded behind him as Tank made his way out of the building. He turned and waved once more to Jerry before disappearing through the exit. All said this stop had only taken a few minutes. He pulled his own phone from his pants pocket.

"Yo," Ranger answered the call after the first ring.

"Got the Jacket," Tank said.

"Bring it to Stephanie's," Ranger said, ending the call before he got a response. He did not need one. Tank got behind the wheel of his truck and headed toward the burg. His hand slipped into the jacket pocket and pulled out the phone. It was smaller than his, an older model.

His mind filled with questions as he drove. Hopefully, he would get his answers soon.

. .

The place was starting to get a bit crowded. Stephanie's apartment was not all that big, to begin with, but it was feeling smaller and smaller every time one of these big men dressed in black walked in. Edna Mazur enjoyed staring at her granddaughter's friends well enough, but her stomach was telling her that she was hungry so she slipped into the kitchen to see if Stephanie had anything good to eat.

All of this excitement, not to mention the events of the previous night, had resulted in a ravenous hunger. As the morning wore on, she could not ignore it any longer. Unfortunately, her searching only netted a jar of peanut butter, some sorry looking grapes and a nearly empty bottle of green olives. There was other stuff around but whatever else she found in the cupboards or fridge did not look appetizing to her, even if she had been able to tell what it was.

That large man, 'Tank', she remembered, had ordered some food to be delivered by the nearest deli, but she was starving now. In her bare feet, Edna tiptoed back into the living room to grab her purse before returning to the kitchen. Digging around, she finally located a small package of crackers. In fact, she realized, with a sly smile, that she was lucky because there were actually two of them. Good thing that her friend Martha never noticed that she had lifted them from the bowl of soup she had ordered at their lunch out last week.

Carefully, Edna spread the peanut butter over the best pieces of crackers that had survived intact. She devoured them, washing down the dry crackers and thick peanut butter with the coffee that Stephanie had left behind. It was cold and tasted bitter but it was wet enough to do the job. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she leaned against the counter.

Ranger stood at the table with Stephanie. Edna observed that he and Stephanie had not been more than a few feet from each other since he had arrived. During most of that time, that hunky man Ranger had his arms wrapped around her granddaughter. In her estimation, Stephanie was long overdue for a decent relationship with someone who was obviously crazy about her. She approved.

At first, Edna had been tempted to leave Stephanie alone with her gorgeous friend. From the looks of it, they needed some time alone together. Then, with the realization that she would have had to go home and face her own daughter, Edna decided that Helen's wrath and endless questions were going to have to wait.

Besides, Stephanie could use her help in solving the mystery they were all directing their focus on now. After all, it was her own discovery of the note that had jump-started this current attention to the mystery box. Where would Stephanie be without her? No, Edna decided, it was better if she stayed to see this through.

Just then, someone pounded on the door. _Shave and a haircut, two bits._ Edna's head popped up, that rhythm was too familiar and she felt her heart jump inside her bony chest. Her eyes were glued to the door. She stopped breathing as Tank reached out to turn the doorknob and she almost fainted as she watched the door open.

None of this had been noticed, by anyone in the room, until Edna involuntarily let a choking sound escape between her stiff lips. Stephanie swung around, alarmed and ready to come to her aid. Following her grandmother's gaze, Stephanie also looked at the man standing in the hallway with a big box of food. "Grandma?" Stephanie asked softly, moving quickly to stand by her grandmother's side. "Is something wrong?"

Tank took care of paying for the food and Ranger watched with interest to see Stephanie's grandmother shrink further back into the kitchen. It looked like she was desperately trying not to be seen. There is an interesting story there, he thought, and no doubt he would be hearing all about it sooner or later.

Edna actually looked physically relieved when she heard the door close. Stephanie's arms extended to help her as she watched her grandmother slump wearily against the wall. What was going on here? Edna allowed Stephanie help her walk over and sit down on the couch but still she said nothing.

The food box was set on the coffee table and Edna immediately started helping unload it, taking advantage of the diversion to avoid any more of Stephanie's worried glances. Her ploy worked perfectly. Until there was another knock on the door.

. .


	18. Chapter 18

. .

Chapter 18

Helen turned the corner, her destination was finally in view. "Okay," she muttered, "So maybe I am a little out of shape." This little walk had taken much longer than she had anticipated. Sweat was trickling down her back as she approached the front walkway to her house.

The need for a drink of water, or something cold and much stronger, nearly made her leap toward the door. But the sound of a car pulling up to the curb behind her stopped her progress. Helen turned around to see a familiar car now sitting there.

She stared at it, confused. For the life of her, Helen could not imagine why he was here. Her hand dropped away from reaching toward the front door handle and she turned to face her unexpected visitor. When she confirmed who it was that emerged from the car, however, her face lit up with delight.

"Joseph Morelli," she said, waving. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?'

Officer Morelli covered the distance between them in a few long strides and he stopped at the foot of the few steps that led up to the porch where Helen was waiting. "Good morning Mrs. Plum," he said. As he looked closer at the disheveled woman standing there, he could see her flushed face, the sweat dripping down her forehead. "Uh, is everything okay Ma'am?"

Suddenly aware of how she must look, Helen brushed her cheeks with her hands, smoothing her hair with the same motion. "Oh, dear," she said, taking a small step backward. "I must look a mess!" Her obvious embarrassment deepening the flush on her cheeks. "I ran out of gas a few blocks away and had to walk home," she said quickly, offering an explanation to her appearance.

For a moment, neither said anything more, the officer seeming to weigh his options, and Helen worried about what her neighbors must be thinking right now. Finally, however, it was Helen who broke the silence. "Uh," she said slowly, "Why are you here again?"

With Stephanie's mom in this increasingly flustered state, Joe was somewhat reluctant to add to her distress. He could tell that his continued silence, however, was only making things worse so he decided he may as well get it over with.

"Well, Mrs Plum, I was looking for your mother, Mrs. Mazur," he said. His voice - friendly and concerned before - now took on the air of authority. "She is wanted as a person of interest in an incident that happened last night."

The worry that had been growing in Helen's gut now exploded and sent prickles of fear throughout her body. How many times had she worried about her mother, scared that something like this would happen. Of all the crazy things her mother got mixed up in, getting thrown in jail was the one thing Helen feared the most.

Her legs trembled. They had felt a bit wobbly from little trek home, but now they seemed to have lost all strength and Helen stumbled nearly falling down. Her arms flailed as she reached out to grab onto something, anything. Joe was quick. He rushed up the steps to steady her just in time. "Careful there," he said.

He had been worried about her reaction. With reason, he chided himself. Stephanie's grandmother seemed to be the center of trouble wherever she went and the whole burg knew how Stephanie's mom felt about that. He could only imagine what Mrs. Plum was thinking now with a police officer showing up looking for her mother. "Here," he said gently. "Let's get you inside to sit down."

Helen nodded numbly. She fumbled with the keys but was finally able to open the lock. Joe helped her through the door and to the closest chair. She looked up at him gratefully and for a few moments, she let her mind wander. Stephanie was making a mistake to let a nice gentleman like Joseph Morelli out of her sights. She was going to have to talk to her daughter about that. Again. Helen sighed.

When her mind got back to the reason she had nearly fainted, Helen felt the fear strike once again. Joe handed her a glass of water. Part of her was impressed that he had been so quick about going to the kitchen for the water, but, no matter how parched her throat felt now, she could barely take a sip. This time when she looked up at Joe, she knew that it was _Officer_ Morelli that stood there. Official, ready for some answers.

Setting the glass on the coffee table, Helen stood to face him. "I have not seen my mother since yesterday afternoon," she stated firmly. That was true enough, and Helen was not going to add anything more. To be honest, it was one of the hardest decisions Helen had been forced to make in recent memory.

On the one hand, telling him that her mother was at Stephanie's would give Helen a chance to bring Joe and Stephanie together in the same place at the same time – something that she had been unsuccessful in doing for months now.

On the other hand, it was quite likely that her mother had been up to no good and letting Stephanie watch as Officer Morelli hauled her grandmother to jail would not exactly be the bonding moment Helen had envisioned. Another heavy sigh.

"It was very nice of you to stop by," Helen was saying now, her hostess instincts taking over. "I will be sure to let my mother know that you have some questions for her."

A product of the burg himself, Joe knew that he had just been firmly dismissed. Even if it had been polite, he could see that he had been given a definite invitation to leave. He tipped his head in acknowledgment and took a step toward the door. "I'll let myself out..." he started to say. Until he remembered his own manners.

"Mrs. Plum," he said, turning back around to face her. "Do you need help with your car?"

Helen nearly choked, though she maintained her composure, barely, her breathing increased and her heart pounded as she realized that she could not refuse his kindly offered assistance. Joe tried to keep his smile kind, but he knew that he had her. The look in her eyes told him that he was right, Mrs. Plum did know something about her mother and he was going to have to force her hand. He waited.

All of the defiant attitude she had mustered drained out of her and Helen slumped back into the chair. She needed to get to Stephanie's to make sure that her mother was alright. To scold her if need be, since it was now more than obvious that she had gotten herself into some big trouble again last night. But with Frank gone and Big Blue out of gas, her options had shrunk considerably. She looked up at the officer still standing there. He was not going anywhere without some answers and Helen knew it.

Finally, she stood, squaring her shoulders in an effort to bring back some inner strength. "That is kind of you, Officer," she said pointedly. "If you could give me just a minute..." she moved quickly to the kitchen, talking over her shoulder. "I just have to grab a few things."

Snatching the phone from the counter, Helen called Stephanie. Her heart was pounding, she knew she did not have a lot of time to work this out, but the phone kept ringing and ringing. If she could just talk to Stephanie she could tell her that she needed to get her grandmother out of there, to hide her somewhere until they could figure out what had happened last night.

Helen called again. Still, Stephanie did not answer. Annoyance was building as, once again, she dialed the number. She held the phone to her ear with both hands, willing Stephanie to pick up this time. No answer.

Out of options, Helen stuffed the phone in her pocket. Her attitude now was one of disapproval that her daughter would not answer her phone, mixed with the desperation of knowing that there was nothing she could do to protect her mother from the police.

"Thank you, Officer Morelli," she said, hiding as many of her emotions as she could from him. "I think there is a gas can in the garage, if you could just give me a ride back to my car, I think I can get it to a gas station."

Joe was amused. Mrs Plum was still trying to dismiss him, after he helped her, of course. It was not going to happen. She knew something, and he was going to find out what it was. His smile did not reveal his thoughts. "I would be glad to help in any way I can," he said.

. .

Lula headed to the burg. She knew the way, she had been there enough with Stephanie. Just thinking about Stephanie made Lula feel sick with guilt. How was she going to explain to her good friend what had happened with her grandmother last night? It was supposed to all be in fun. And they were having a great time, for a while.

All she could do now was find Edna before anyone else did. But why wasn't she answering her phone? The fact that Edna could already be in trouble occurred to Lula and she panicked all over again. "Think, Lula, think," she muttered.

Finally an idea came to her and Lula pulled her car over to the side of the road. She dug out her phone punching in the number for directory assistance. Before she knew it, she was connected to the Plum's home phone. If Edna had made it home alright, Stephanie's mother would know, wouldn't she? Lula tried to breathe and take control over her fears.

When Stephanie's mom answered, however, Lula was relieved but still flustered enough that she forgot all about phone etiquette. She all but ordered to talk to Edna. Silence followed her demand. Again she asked for Edna but the line went dead. "You did not just hang up on me!" Lula stared at the phone. "Who does that?" she said angrily, calling the number again.

No one answered this time so Lula hung up and tried again. A busy signal let her know that there was no point in calling again and she tossed her phone onto the seat. Tapping on the steering wheel helped her work out what she needed to do next.

The idea came to her all at once and Lula nearly jumped in her seat. Witha plan in mind, relief filler her ample chest. pulling into traffic, she changed the course of her direction, heading instead to her favorite donut place. While Lula knew just showing up unannounced looking for Stephanie's grandmother would definitely trigger some major worries in her friend, going to Stephanie's apartment with donuts and coffee would seem almost normal.

That is what she told herself, again and again, while she waited in line. Her fears about Edna were making her feel sick to her stomach, and the thought of eating donuts didn't settle well. Lula made another decision, she would only get three donuts for herself this morning. In the state she was in, she could not imagine eating more than that.

When it was finally her turn at the counter, Lula took her time to very carefully select a dozen donuts, paying special attention to the three she would be able to eat. For the life of her, Lula could not remember what kind Stephanie liked. She looked at the donuts in the case and up at the lady helping her. "I can't decide," she finally said.

This was no surprise to the donut lady who smiled, a bit impatiently, and suggested some of their most requested donuts. Lula nodded, what else was she to do. Her plan to get to Stephanie's was taking longer than she had anticipated and she was getting more and more worried about Edna. Box in hand, she made her way back to her car. Next stop, Stephanie's place.

Lula just hoped that Stephanie would be able to help her find Edna before anything really bad happened to her.

. .

The knock seemed to echo in her ears and Edna froze, who could be at the door this time? Her granddaughter's house had turned into Grand Central Station. Her hopes, to come here and hide out, were fading fast. She had no idea who could walk through that door this time. Getting more and more scared, all she could do was stare as Tank once again took the liberty of answering the door.

He did not seem at all surprised to see a shorter man dressed in black standing there. He waved him in, shutting the door behind him. Edna felt her limbs go numb and she was glad that she was already safely sitting on the couch. Falling on her face because her legs gave out on her would have been more than embarrassing. Relief poured over her as she watched this man follow Tank over to the coffee table. "Grab something to eat before we get busy," Tank told him.

If anyone took notice of her flushed face and rapid breathing, they did not say so. Just as well, Edna thought. She was not ready to offer any explanation. Besides, she was pretty sure that her granddaughter really did not want to know about Donald the deli guy. Or about any of the other men she had run into last night, for that matter.

"Yes!" Hector was saying as he poked around the box of food. "I like the ones with meatballs."

Her empty stomach growled at the mention of food and Edna regained enough of her strength to smile and hold her own sandwich up in a mock salute. "Buon profitto," she said, repeating the phrase her son in law always said before every meal.

The offer of good health and enjoyment of the meal in Italian was close enough to Spanish that it was instantly understood and Hector smiled wide and returned the gesture. "Salud!"

Tank grabbed a sandwich of his own and let his gaze drift over to the closed bedroom door. It was impossible for him to forget what had happened the last time they were here and the bizarre change he had seen in Ranger's attitude. All he could do now was hope that there would not be a repeat of the inexplicable disaster he had witnessed before. He had no desire to slap Ranger up the side of his head, but he would do so if he saw the need to set his friend straight.

Those thoughts did not distract him for long. Tank was more interested in what they would find on the phone in the pocket of the jacket now draped over the kitchen chair. Though he had not taken a close look at the images he had found in the photo gallery when he had messaged them to the team at the office, he had seen enough to raise a few questions. As far as Tank was concerned, the sooner they figured out what it all meant, the better.

. .


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

By the time the plane had landed, Eric was more than ready to make his call to Ranger. His friend had set a dangerous ball rolling this morning and it was about time that they had a chat. First, however, he had to get out of this airport. Picking up his checked bag and retrieving his firearms was going to delay him from that talk, but there was nothing he could do about that.

Tapping his foot and constantly checking his watch, Eric actually blended in well with the other passengers. No one would know that he was about to save the world as they knew it. When he saw his bag emerge on the conveyor belt, he did not wait another second. Moving through the crowd he grabbed it with one hand and held it above his head.

Pushing his way out of the throng he quickly found the security office. Following all the proper procedures, Eric was finally armed. Feeling more like himself, he got into his rental car and immediately pulled out his phone.

What he had to say was not going to be exactly pleasant, but Ranger needed to hear it as soon as possible. He punched in the phone number from memory, waiting anxiously for the connection. Fortunately, Ranger picked up the call on the first ring. "Yo," he said. "Eric?"

Ranger had not actually expected to hear from his friend so soon. "What's up?" Ranger moved out of the kitchen giving Stephanie a quick kiss to her cheek. When she saw the look in his eyes, she decided to follow him to her room. Noticing that he had company, Ranger took her hand in his guiding her to sit next to him on the bed.

For a split second, Stephanie took in the state of her bedroom. Bedding in a pile on the floor, some clothes flung on the chair in the corner, and several pairs of shoes scattered around randomly where she had just kicked them off. She should have been embarrassed by the mess, her mother would have a fit if she saw this. Instead, however, Stephanie's attention was focused on the conversation Ranger was having.

As they sat there he wrapped his free arm around her waist, pulling her close to his side. Stephanie closed her eyes, enjoying the sensations. The sudden strain in Ranger's voice, however, pulled her from the feeling that everything was right for a change.

Whoever he was talking to must have something very important to say for Ranger to be concentrating the way he was on what he was being told. Several times she felt his posture stiffen, even just the tiniest bit, indicating to her that he did not like what he was hearing.

By the time Ranger ended the call Stephanie was getting concerned. Doubts began to pile up. She knew how crazy her life could be, and just as assuredly, she knew that Ranger shouldered his own share of burdens and responsibilities. This time she was worried that some of those burdens were being placed on him because of the problems she had pulled him into with that stupid box. An extra heaping helping of guilt was piled on top of her worries.

Stephanie exhaled a heavy sigh and Ranger turned to look at her. She searched the expression on his face, the intensity of his gaze, scared that she was going to see something there that she would not like. Unfortunately, his blank face was securely in place, she had no idea what he was thinking.

How had she fooled herself into believing that all of the pieces were just going to fall effortlessly into place with Ranger? Words, she reminded herself, words had to be said, but how could she make that happen with all of this craziness going on around them?

Instead of saying what she knew she had been waiting so long to say to him, Stephanie drew in a deep breath and squared her shoulders in an effort to tap into up some hidden stores of strength. This recent trouble she had brought into his life had to be addressed before anything else. She would just have to deal with one thing at a time, no matter what her heart wanted.

"Who was that?" she asked, not sure if knowing the answer to that question would help her growing sense of dread. "It sounded bad."

Ranger nodded. "We need to find this Phillips guy as soon as we can," he said, pulling her up with him as he stood and leading her toward the door.

Just then, Stephanie felt her pocket buzz. She stopped to grab her phone. Staring at it for a moment before answering the call, that panicky feeling that had been growing in her gut grew even

stronger. How many people had she dragged into her current mess? "Hey, Mary Lou," she said hesitantly. "What's up?"

.

 _Unknown location. Six years ago._

Jeffrey Phillips had been about to make his national debut as an investigative reporter. His hidden dreams had been so close to coming true for him. One night had changed all of that, ripping everything he had known away from him. He thought about it every day. Whether he was at the construction sites he worked on or traveling between jobs, it was foremost on his mind.

Self-exile had been his only option half a dozen years ago, but he did not regret his decision. Remote patches of highway had become his thinking boxes, like this job he was doing here today. In the relative silence, he worked and let his brain sort out the information he had been gathering. Jeffrey stepped back from the newly smoothed pavement long enough to be satisfied with it before he started on the next section.

Sunlight glared off of the gloss of wet concrete. It would have been blinding if Jeffrey had been looking at it, but his gaze was directed far away over the horizon. He missed his home, his sister, his life. After a sobering moment, he bent again and got back to work.

The job did not require all of his brain power, so sometimes between analyzing his research and trying to come up with answers, his mind wandered and he tried to imagine what his life could have been. Should have been. Bringing up images of what he had hoped for only created soul-crushing sadness. He knew better than to wallow in that kind of self-pity but every now and then he just could not stop it.

The distraction was what he needed to keep him going sometimes. The life he had been delegated to was hard, lonely, necessary. Even though at the end of most days he was completely exhausted and depressed, Jeffrey spent hours every night writing the next Pulitzer award-winning articles that would gain him the international acclaim he had missed out on.

Of course, he still had to maintain his secret identity. There was no way he could risk being found until he was ready. So, where ever he landed, he became just another one of the guys. And no matter where he had found jobs, there always seemed to be a saloon or bar nearby. Most of the other men he worked with eagerly sought out drinks and whatever entertainment they could to help them forget about their life such as it was.

That is where Jeffrey came in handy. Many nights, especially on the weekends, he would go with them and find a piano to play. They loved him! It did not matter where they happened to be, Jeffrey was the was the best damn piano player within miles. Ha! His mother would have been so proud. Sarcasm aside, Jeffrey was actually happy to entertain the men after long days of gritty work. Every chance he got to practice, even on badly tuned pianos, was a relief somehow.

He was thinking about that tonight as he found his way to the saloon. Another Saturday night and the whole place was packed. Jeffrey pushed his way to the corner of the room where an ancient looking piano stood. Covered in dust and spilled drinks, it looked like it might still have some promise so Jeffrey sat down and started in with some scales to test the tuning. It worked well enough and he was able to plunk out a simple tune.

It did not take long for the crowd to rally around the only entertainment in the room. Over the din, requests were shouted out. "Give us some Billy Joel!" This coming from the back of the room, but voices everywhere joined in with their agreement.

Jeffrey cringed inwardly. That wasn't the first time he had heard that request and it certainly would not be the last. He could just see his prodigy grandfather rolling over in his grave as his classically trained grandson became the 'piano man' again.

Shrugging off those thoughts he played the requested music. The men were clapping along in rhythm, singing the lyrics, at least it sounded like some of the words were close. He tried not to laugh, the drunker the men were, the more interesting the lyrics became.

Jeffrey stayed at the keyboard for as long as he could stand. Especially on the weekends, getting drunk was the main goal of most the guys here and they were doing a damned good job at it. For all of their participation now, however, Jeffrey knew that in a few minutes they would not even miss him when he left.

While so many of these men felt that the best way to wind down was to get drunk and pass out. Jeffrey knew that his night was just getting started. A few complaints followed him out of the smoke-filled room, but Jeffrey waved them off. It would be a huge relief to leave the stench of alcohol and cigarettes behind. He turned and gave his final bow but when he stood he felt long fingers of fear grip his chest. Just a glimpse, that was all he had had of the man slipping through the crowd but it had been enough.

This had happened before. The sense that he was being watched, followed. But he had only seen this man twice. Once on Stark street in Trenton and again about three years ago in Alaska. That this man was here tonight could only mean one thing. Though all of his moving around had been making it harder, there was now no doubt that he was being followed.

Using incredible control, Jeffrey gave his fans one last smile before he slipped through the door. Once outside, he filled his lungs with the fresh air in an effort to calm his nerves. Hurrying now, constantly looking back over his shoulder, Jeffrey made his way back to his small trailer.

His guard was up and he cursed the fact that playing the piano everywhere he went could have been the very thing that drew unwanted attention to himself. He should have thought of that. It was very likely that he had been seen tonight. So, if he had been found again there was only one thing to do. These temporary jobs were easy to leave behind and that is exactly what he was going to do again. Now. Tonight.

No packing was necessary. Jeffrey simply put his truck in gear and got on the highway as quickly as he could. Alone on the open road at last. Keeping one eye on the rear-view mirror, he tried to get as far away from that saloon as quickly as possible. He knew that he would be able to see lights from other cars miles away on this open road. That would make it easy enough for him to disappear before they caught up with him. Running again. Still. It was the only life he could have.

.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

 _Trenton, NJ – One month ago._

It was nearing midnight when the mayor arrived back to his mansion. Warren Holmes did not usually travel alone, he could count on his entourage to cover his every move. Normally they provided protection and security, but not tonight. Tonight he had needed to be alone.

Moonlight reflected off of the black as coal finish of his Mercedes-Benz AMG_GT Coupe. The sporty little car was not his usual mode of transportation, but it was his vehicle of choice when he wanted to get away, alone, to sort out his thoughts.

Mayor Holmes was a complicated man, his ambitions had brought him to this point in his life, but there were times, granted not many, when he felt that things were spiraling out of his control. Tonight was one of those rare occasions. The long drive through Mercer County park helped him get a better grasp on what he needed to do next.

"Ah, no," Warren chuckled. Not the Mercer County Park, it was now the _Richard J Coffee_ Mercer County Park. Renamed to honor the New Jersey State Senator. That was one of the reasons he liked coming out here, it was a visible reminder of the power of politics and popularity. One day, he mused, his name would be added to parks and highways and buildings and roads. And just for fun, he said it out loud, trying it on for size. "The _Warren G Holmes_ Mercer County Park!"

His laughter died down. This little trip out here was serious. Surrounded by trees instead of yes men, Warren let his mind wander where it wanted to go. Conversations were reviewed over and over again. Secret phone calls and illicit meetings had been his modus operandi for years now, ever since he had somehow become involved with the mob.

Sometimes Warren felt that tiny yet annoying pang of guilt about the decision he had made all those years ago. "Run for the school board," his best friend had told him. A ridiculous idea Warren had replied. Definitely not anything that he was interested in. "But you are interested in being successful," he persisted. "Many political careers have been launched by winning one of the slots on the board. Its the first rung on the ladder to bigger and better positions."

Seduced by the promise of power, prestige, personal pleasure, Warren was finally persuaded to play the game. Only in these infrequent moments of insecurity did he second guess how easy it had been for him to buy into the whole idea of his rise to power. There was always a cost, a price to pay and tonight that weighed heavily on what little soul he had left.

Memories had sparked after meeting with the current school board yesterday. Warren could not help but remember one of his earliest displays of self-interest. Like yesterday, all those years ago he had effectively shut down discussions between a group of teachers and the superintendent.

His own agenda was all that mattered, well, the mob's agenda, if truth be told. And a few dissident administrators and teachers could not stop the machine that controlled the city. Anger now simmered just under his skin. If everyone would just stick with the program, he wouldn't have to deal with the distasteful chore of cleaning up loose ends.

Jeffrey Phillips was one of those pesky loose ends. A shame, since Warren had liked the guy way back when. But, there were certain things that could not be tolerated by the men Warren worked for and having their operations exposed was on the top of that list.

When Warren found out that the troublesome reporter threatening to do just that was, in fact, Jeffrey Phillips, it had pricked at his humanity. Warren had not wanted to hurt Phillips and that is why he had sent Arnie to warn him off. Convenient that Phillips had been using Arnie as one of his informants, it had made the task that much easier. And it had worked, at least that is what Warren had thought.

Unfortunately, the mob required an actual dead body for their closure of the whole situation. And now, it seemed, they had gotten close again to finding Phillips. The garage door slowly closed behind him. Warren climbed out of the car, guilt, and fear mixed with his anger weighing him down. This new development could end his career, his life as he knew it.

What if Phillips talked. The ruthless practices of the mob started to make sense to Warren in a very personal way. He needed to get to Phillips before the mob did. In another act of self-preservation, Warren set the wheels in motion to find him first. One way or another, Phillips would not be talking to anyone ever again.

. .

Stephanie ended the call but Ranger noticed that she still held her phone, just staring at it. An eyebrow raised when she finally lifted her gaze to meet his. He could not help but notice that the smile she attempted for him touched her lips but did not make it to her eyes. Worry, that he had tried so hard to push away before, now hit him with full force.

She was scared, that was easy to see. This was not one of her usual skip fiascoes, finding Jeffrey Phillips had been turning into a problem of major proportions. Ranger could only imagine that the fact he had become involved was a mixed blessing in Stephanie's eyes. One of his only consolations was that Stephanie had called him, asked for his help. She trusted him that much. The glimmer of hope knowing that had brought him earlier was now teetering on the edge.

"That was Mary Lou," Stephanie said. "She found some new information, so I told her to come on over."

"Did she say what it was?" Ranger asked, disappointed when Stephanie just shook her head.

Whatever her friend had to share, Ranger doubted that it was going to be good news. With what Eric had told him, it was becoming clear that this Phillips guy was stuck in the center of some serious shit. Everything that they could find out would only help as they put the big picture together but he held no illusions that the picture was going to be pretty.

Ranger could feel it in his gut. What they were about to find out from Mary Lou and from the phone that Eric had left for him held the real possibility of blowing the whole thing wide open. Once again, he offered his hand to Stephanie, pulling her close for a last kiss on the cheek before they joined the growing ranks in the other room.

Stephanie paused, leaning into Ranger just a little bit longer. Letting his strength bolster hers. Pushing her misgivings about what was going to happen next aside, she just needed to have a second to catch her breath. Closing her eyes she wanted this moment to last forever.

That brief respite was interrupted when they heard the knock at her front door. Ranger ushered them out of the bedroom in time to see Tank pull the door open. They watched as Mary Lou and Lenny hurried right in.

"Steph," Mary Lou was saying, as she headed over to her friend holding up a sheaf of papers. "You've got to see this!"

. .

 _Location unknown. One month ago._

Jeffrey stepped outside of his small camper. He needed a moment to breath and stretch his muscles before he got busy again. He looked around at the bleak terrain all around him. Nothing but dirt and small mounds of earth for miles. Where was he again? It was getting harder and harder to keep track of all of these remote backwoods places.

Rolling his shoulders and stretching his arms above his head his only thoughts were on his writing. He did not care where any of these construction jobs took him as long as he had an internet connection. Time was running out, he could feel it. It may have sounded a bit dramatic, even to himself, but the very real impression that he was being watched was growing stronger again.

The fact that he could be back in the crosshairs only heightened his sense of urgency and he was using whatever time he had to write the story of a lifetime. Jeffrey climbed back into the trailer. Years of manual labor had taken their toll on him and Jeffrey felt every muscle in his body ache with fatigue but that did not stop him. He had work to do.

His searches every night were not always productive, but he had not let up. He scoured the pages of every newspaper site he could find, he listened to radio news and found political blogs to follow. Word by word, files of data had been painstakingly compiled.

Every night he believed he was getting a step closer to uncovering the dealings of the worst criminal organization in the state. His state, he reminded himself wistfully, the one he had not seen for years now. Instantly shaking off the familiar melancholy that came with this train of thought, Jeffrey pushed those feelings aside. He had no time for that. What was at stake was too important to give up now.

The fingers of the mob reached deeper than he could have imagined back when he discovered who was involved in his investigation all those years ago. How could he have been so stupid, so naive? Jeffrey Phillips, he mocked himself, the greatest reporter in the world, with one of the keenest minds in the industry. He shook his head. He had learned his lessons the hard way. Some truths were easy to expose, others could put him and the people he loved and too many innocents in danger.

All of those visions of triumph or piles of awards and accolades had dimmed with the reality that he had been forced to live. JP, he sneered. Seasoned reporter, who had become reduced to earning his way with jobs that paid cash under the table. This had to be worth the price he had paid.

What niggled at his brain, at his sanity, was that he had thought that he had a good grasp on the details of the story he had been pursuing. Now he understood just how wrong he had been. Even now, Jeffrey was still working at it. Piece by piece he was putting together the whole picture and he did not like what he was seeing.

Nobody seemed to know just how bad it was getting to be. Elections for Governor were coming up. The story of the humble member of the school board turned Mayor and now setting his sights on the governor's office held the imagination of the whole state of New Jersey. Everyone seemed to love him, they did not know who Mr. Holmes really was. They had no idea what he was doing, or what he was capable of.

It seemed that Jeffrey was the only one who had seen him in action and it was going to be up to him to stop him from moving right up into the position that would give him the power he was after. Governor, he knew, was just the last stepping stone toward the real goal. President. Once he was in Washington DC there might be no stopping the man.

Jeffrey made his decision. There was no time to lose but he really hated what he was about to put Trina through. He knew that she was going to be scared. Actually, that was what he was counting on. That may sound cruel, to deliberately trigger her worst nightmare but he could not help that. He needed her to set his plan in motion. This was the only way.

Pulling out the ratty looking manila envelope, Jeffrey dumped the few remaining postcards out onto the table. Tillie's grinning face mocked him. He had grabbed twenty of these stupid cards with his plan to somehow keep in touch with his sister. Jeffrey had not really believed he would ever have to use more than five of them and here, twelve years later, there was only a handful left.

His face burned with a sudden flush of heat. Rage. Hatred. Fury. Call it what you want. It was impossible to avoid the emotions welling up inside of him or the agony he felt after twelve years of his life had been stolen from him. Losing control was not something that Jeffrey generally allowed himself to do but for the first time in years, anger and frustration rose to the surface and overwhelmed him. His arm shot out with a violent jerk sweeping the cards over the edge of the small table. The postcards went flying. He just watched as they littered the floor.

Chest heaving, sweat building, Jeffrey drew in huge gulps of air. The scene before him made him mad all over again. Anger simmering for this long was certain to have an effect on someone, he let himself accept that. Now that it was no longer contained, however, it left Jeffrey more than a little worried. He needed to end this soon.

His constant research had led him to see the plan. If it was to be believed, the mob had crafted an insidious plan, one that spanned decades as they maneuvered key people around the political chessboard. A governor in their pocket was a big deal, but Jeffrey knew it was only the beginning of Holmes' rise. They had their eyes set on the presidency of the United States.

From a school board member to the commander and chief. Warren Holmes was an incredibly patient man, but why shouldn't he play the game? He was handsome, he was getting more and more rich by the day and winning would make him one of the most powerful men in the world. Jeffrey had to make his move now and with every ounce of control he could muster he focused his attention back on his computer.

The images on the screen would have seemed too blurry if he hadn't known exactly who was shown there. Jeffrey had no doubts as to the identity of the man in question. He had been following his actions for years now. The public face that Warren Holmes presented was popular and that fact made Jeffrey sick.

How would they feel if they knew what their favorite Mayor was planning? Would they think he was such a great guy if they understood his master plan? Eminent domain was only the beginning, what would they think about his desire for world domination?

No one was supposed to know of all the back door dealings that had been made. Holmes had gone to great lengths to keep it that way. Jeffrey was a loose end that Holmes and his friends in the mob had been trying to tie up for years.

He was not safe, Jeffrey knew this with every fiber in his body. Holmes could not make his next move without knowing that there was no one who could expose his lies, divulge his plans. If they did not know that Jeffrey had some proof of their dealings, there would have been no reason to threaten him all those years ago and, more importantly, they would not need to find him now.

They were close, Jeffrey could feel it. Once again those spiky tendrils of fear crawled up his spine. After all these years, he knew the time had come. He could only hope that Trina could figure out how to get to him before they did.

. .


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Everyone started talking at once.

"Tank," Ranger said, "Let's take a look at what you found on the phone."

"Jefe, uh. Boss," Hector said, holding up his own cell phone, "They found something."

"Let me show you this," Mary Lou said to Stephanie, dragging both Stephanie and Lenny with her over to the kitchen table.

Stephanie felt her brain jolted back to the reason that she had so many people in her apartment right now. She had asked for help with the mystery package and she was now getting it, in spades.

While Stephanie followed Mary Lou and Lenny, Tank quickly grabbed the jacket from one of the kitchen chairs and motioned Ranger to follow him to the couch. Since seating was getting limited, Hector moved the box of food to the floor and used the coffee table to sit on.

Observing the unfolding events, Edna finished the last bite of the sandwich she had been eating and wiped her mouth and hands with the napkin. As much as she wanted to stay right where she was sitting, next to Stephanie's fine looking friends, it was getting more than a little bit cramped here on the couch.

"Is anyone else going to show up?" Grandma Mazur said to herself, rolling her eyes as she looked around the room. Stephanie's apartment was beginning to look like a circus and she realized that they were running out of chairs for everyone. So she decided to help her granddaughter out.

Edna hopped up, excusing herself. She poked around the apartment, her actions going unnoticed for the most part. Everyone was so intent on what they were doing she doubted that anyone had paid the slightest attention to her. For the time being, that was just fine with her.

She had come here with her own agenda anyway and all of this was proving to be a very effective distraction for her. Getting on with her search, Edna was a woman on a mission. First, she found an iffy looking folding chair located behind the curtain near the window that led to the emergency ladder. There was a story there she was sure, but asking about that would have to be for another time.

When she saw the small ottoman under the only other window in the room she was worried that these would be the only offerings she was going to find. She pulled them both out and set them over by the couch. One more gaze around the apartment drew her attention to the last room that there was to look in.

"Might as well cover all the bases," Edna said to herself. She ran into the bedroom. The place was a mess but she finally eyed what must have been the only chair left in the apartment. "It'll have to do," she said with a shrug. Clearing it by dumping the pile of clothes onto the floor, she dragged the surprisingly heavy chair into the other room.

Noticing what was happening, Stephanie jumped up to help her grandmother get the chair over to the circle that was forming. "Thanks, grandma," she said, giving her a quick squeeze around her shoulders.

Edna motioned her head toward the men now huddled over the small screen of the phone. Her grandmother's meaning was not quite clear, but Stephanie did not mind having an excuse to look over at Ranger.

Sensing that she was looking at him, Ranger glanced up and caught Stephanie's eye. At first, she felt that wonderful thrill, the tingle on the back of her neck that she had missed so much. Then she saw the hint of worry in his dark eyes.

The blank expression on his face did not reflect what she had seen in his eyes but he did not fool her. Ranger was concerned and they both knew it. Stephanie tried to swallow around the lump forming in her throat. Fear sprang up anew and though she tried to keep a brave front, Ranger could sense the tension from across the room.

It was no surprise, his adorable bounty hunter had done it again. Without even trying she had landed smack dab in the center of a very serious situation. His phone buzzed then, drawing his attention back to the pictures he had been studying. Reluctantly he looked away.

"Steph," Mary Lou waved her over to the table. "Read what it says right here."

. .

After doing her part to be an acceptable hostess, even under these strange circumstances, Edna settled in to watch the show. Choosing the most comfortable chair, the upholstered one from Stephanie's bedroom, Edna kept a shrewd eye on what was developing.

At first, she wondered if what Ranger and his men in black were working on had anything to do with solving the mystery of Stephanie's box. The men were using words like 'illegal sale of arms' and 'drug houses' and 'slave trade'. For the life of her, she could not understand what all that would have to do with the things she had seen in the box.

MaryLou was pointing out some strange things to Stephanie too. 'Crack houses', 'drug dealing', 'money laundering'. 'JP.' Edna's brain was beginning to hurt. What did any of this have to do with a missing school teacher and his sister?

Suddenly, the lack of sleep and the events of the last twelve hours started catching up with her and Edna felt her eyes becoming heavy. Her headache, almost but not quite a hangover anymore did not help either. Curling up in the chair, she let fatigue wash over her. Her eyes drifted shut.

A huge disco ball hung over a deserted strip of road. Several spotlights from unknown origins threw beams of silver light onto the ball. Standing in the middle of the empty street, Edna watched with wide eyes as electric confetti rained down all around her. She was momentarily mesmerized by the kaleidoscope of holographic colors.

All of a sudden she became aware of the music. It was coming from somewhere and everywhere all at the same time, gradually increasing in volume. Edna dragged her gaze from the dazzling lights, searching the gathering darkness for clues. Where was she? What was happening? Unseen choirs sang nursery rhymes in high pitched voices. "Ring around the Rosie, pocket full of posies " Edna covered her ears trying to block out the sound as it got louder and louder.

Something cold tickled her feet and she looked down to see strange clouds billowing up from the ground. Edna was filled with a strange mixture of fascination and fear, stealing her breath away as she watched with trepidation.

The cloud was surrounding her in vivid pink puffs that swirled up and up threatening to completely cover her. Before the puffs reached her head, Edna saw him. The disco king, all decked out in his bright blue Angel's Flight polyester suit.

The nursery rhymes played with a disco beat now, Edna stretched her neck to see the disco man showing off his groovin' moves. "Wait," Edna cried. Her words, along with her head, were swallowed up in the pink cloud and she knew no one could hear her.

"Was that Don the Deli man?" Her thoughts sounded loud in her head. But when the pink smoke started evaporating, he was gone. And she found herself alone once again.

. .

Ranger took the phone that was being handed to him. Eric had told him about what he had sent, but nothing had prepared him for the images that he was seeing now. Tank and Hector looked on in silence. They had had their own reactions to the pictures Eric had taken, so they were not surprised by the smoldering anger in Ranger's eyes.

"Arnie!" he growled. "The bastard!" In Ranger's line of work, he had run into many scumbags like Arnie. As informants go, Arnie had always played the game well. He really did seem to be in the right place at the right time to hear or see things to help the police, or in this case, a reporter.

Arnie lived for the adventure and liked a bit of danger thrown in for good measure. His information was usually reliable, but Arnie himself was not. His loyalties could be bought by the highest bidder, but he was good enough that not everyone knew that. Especially not unseasoned reporters trying to follow a juicy lead to the story of a lifetime.

Of course, Arnie was only part of the problem. Ranger turned his attention back to the phone. Scrolling down, he could not believe what he was looking at. Like Ranger's, Eric's anger had been justified. No one would want to believe what Eric had found.

. .

Mary Lou dragged Stephanie back to the kitchen table. "We have so much to tell you!" she was saying. Stephanie nodded, she had a few things of her own to share. "Lenny talked to some of our old teachers over at the VFW this morning." Stephanie caught the adoring look Mary Lou shot at her husband. "Oh, and he went to see his cousin at the newspaper too."

Lenny, normally the quiet and reserved half of the pair suddenly came alive with the recounting of his morning. Stephanie listened intently, but she was not all that surprised by what she was hearing. As he talked, Lenny pulled out the stack of papers they had brought.

Once the papers had been spread out across the table. Mary Lou lifted one of the pages and handed it to her husband. Lenny motioned to her to proceed and once again Stephanie noticed how sweet it was when Mary Lou looked at Lenny. Lenny's face reflected the adoration.

"Okay," Mary Lou said, laying the paper on top of the others. "What do you think of this?" Stephanie followed Mary Lou's finger to the paragraph in the middle of the page. Silently she read the words. It all seemed so familiar, she had seen this article before, hadn't she? Her eyes skimmed quickly, now hesitating at the words that she had obviously missed when going through much of this same information before. "Presumed dead..."

Lenny seemed to know when Stephanie got to the part they were concerned with now. "Do you remember, in high school, how they pulled us all into counseling when Mr. Phillips left?" Lenny pulled a chair close and sat down, both Stephanie and Mary Lou followed his example. "It was after the yearbook staff went to Mr. Dorell about the memorial page for Mr. Phillips."

Mary Lou glanced up at Lenny, then they both looked at Stephanie. "Do you remember," she said, repeating Lenny's words. "We asked about the funeral. Like, should we all go to it."

When their eyes met, Stephanie nodded. "No family, so... no funeral, they told us," she said. "I remember how sad that made me feel. He wasn't my favorite teacher, but to die all alone without anyone at all seemed so very sad."

"In all of the news coverage about the tragedy, we could only find one mention of any surviving family," Lenny carried the narrative now. "This one sentence was it, and all it says is that details could not be given until notification of next of kin."

"Now I have to wonder if they were being deliberately vague about it," Mary Lou stood and started pacing. Lenny and Stephanie just looked at each other and grinned. They both knew that she did her best thinking while on her feet. It would only be a matter of time before the ideas in her head started making sense to her. Until then, they stayed silent, waiting.

For her part, Stephanie couldn't wait to tell them about the note her grandmother had helped her find. All of their reasoning was leading them right to the same conclusion that she had already come to. She tried to hide a knowing smile. Mary Lou loved a good mystery, and Stephanie was not about to destroy her fun by blurting out the answer she had found. Besides, it was great to watch her friend in action.

They knew when it happened. Mary Lou stopped. Her back was to them now, but there was no doubt that her eyes were wide with wonder. Or that her lips were curving into a conspiratorial smile. Shaking a finger, she turned toward them. The smile spread, her lips parted as she formed the words she wanted to say.

Lenny felt he was watching this in slow motion. His wife moved across the room, sliding into her chair. The suspense was killing him. But it was Stephanie who broke the silence. "What?" she said, grabbing at both of Mary Lou's hands. "What are you thinking?"

"That's it!" Mary Lou stated triumphantly. "They were wrong, or they were lying to us when they said that Mr. Phillips didn't have any family." Mary Lou drew in a deep breath. "Weren't we in the same class together?" she turned to Stephanie. Her forehead wrinkled as she concentrated on the answer to her question. "No." She started shaking her head. "No, you're right, we weren't," she answered her own question.

By now, Stephanie was growing anxious to fill them in on the rest, but she knew Mary Lou was too close to the answer. "And...?" Stephanie said, drawing out the syllable. Mary Lou nodded encouragingly. Lenny caught what she was saying and he nearly jumped out of his chair.

"The interview for the school paper!" he nearly shouted his answer. Mary Lou beamed, as usual, her husband was following her train of thought. "He said his sister also played several instruments.

"Maybe he didn't die like we thought. What if his reporting was getting too close to something dangerous?" Mary Lou was triumphant, her hand gestured to the pile of papers they had brought. "We read all of the articles he wrote and a lot of them were about some suspected drug dealers. He could be in police custody or in witness protection or something like that."

It was fascinating to watch Mary Lou work and Stephanie felt grateful that her friend had gone to so much trouble to help her. Stephanie wanted to thank her and tell her how close she was when Mary Lou gripped her hand.

"It's like someone wants you to find him now." Mary Lou stopped and looked directly into Stephanie's eyes. "You have to be careful," she said. "Until you know who wants your help, and more importantly, why they need to find him, you could be in danger."

There was no way to hide her smile as Stephanie felt her emotions bloom in her chest. She had always been grateful to have a friend like Mary Lou, but never more so than in this moment. She would not keep her friend in suspense any longer, it was time to share what she knew about Mr. Phillip's sister

Stephanie started digging under the pile of papers until she found the book with it's hidden message. "So... " Stephanie said, "About his sister..."

. .


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Chet usually liked the undercover assignments he got to do at RangeMan. First of all, he could wear his own street clothes as the black uniforms required at RangeMan were too easily recognized. Second, he liked the occasional break from installing or monitoring the security systems. Best of all, more often than not Chet even got to use his own vehicle. But that was not the case not today. He was heading down to the Stark Street area and there was no way he wanted to take his truck down there.

So, here he was in a nondescript, beat-up four-door sedan while he kept tabs on Arnie the informant. Chet shifted his large shoulders. For the hundredth time he tried to make his large frame comfortable, all to no avail. He had to hunch over or his head would hit the roof. Chet swore under his breath, the only thing he liked about this POS car he was driving was the fully functioning air conditioner.

In his ear Chet could hear someone chuckling. His choice words had been heard through the coms. Of course, they would be, he thought as he rolled his eyes, the technology used at RangeMan was top of the line. These earbuds caught everything, actually, that was the point. "Shut up, Santos," he said. "It could be you out here next."

Down the street, Arnie was still chatting with a bunch of guys who all seemed to need some major improvement in their personal hygiene. They seemed to wear their long stringy hair and ratty clothes as a fashion statement, Chet was just glad he was not close enough to smell them. A minute later Chet watched as the object of his assignment waved off the group and headed toward the bar on the corner.

Reporting the movements, Chet ditched the car and made his own way to the run-down establishment. He found a spot at the bar, all the way on the end giving him an excellent view of the room. Arnie was a busy guy, going from one side of the place to the other like he was working the joint. In fact, that is exactly what he was doing. Chet made note of every person the man talked to. It would not be long before they discovered all of Arnie's contacts.

"Mike is your replacement," said a voice in Chet's ear. "Your shift is up in ten."

Sure enough, eight minutes later Mike walked into the bar. He was one of the newer RangeMan recruits and Chet liked the kid, he was sharp. Mike's advantage in this assignment was that he was not widely known as a RangeMan yet. That anonymity would help if Arnie noticed him. Chet stood and threw some bills on the counter to cover his bill. He passed Mike on his way out. Without a single glance his way, Mike took Chet's position at the end of the bar.

Arnie was oblivious to the whole exchange, all of his attention at the moment was on the billiards table. The game he bet on was underway. Win or lose, it did not really matter, he was here to find some marketable information. Another day in the life of a snitch. He smirked. The thought amused him. He was good. No one here knew what his game was.

Mike did not miss that brief twist of his lips or the haughty look in his eyes. He did not like Arnie, as scuzzy as he appeared, the man was too smug, too slick. No, Mike did not like this guy at all, but he was sure of one thing. It would not be long before Arnie's games caught up with him and all hell broke loose.

' _Couldn't happen to a better guy._ ' Mike hid a smile, he ordered a drink that he would not be drinking and continued to make notes of his every move.

. .

Mary Lou and Lenny were stunned into silence as they watched Stephanie fan out the pages of the old journal. They both gasped when she tipped the book downward and a paper, folded accordion style, slipped out and fell to the table.

Stephanie set the book aside and picked up the paper. Without a word she unfolded it, smoothing it out before she gave it to Mary Lou. And she remained silent waiting for her friend to read it.

"O.M.G.!" Mary Lou said, staring at the letter Stephanie handed to her. "Lenny!" she handed the page over to her husband.

"She wants you to find her brother," Mary Lou said in a voice filled with wonder, her eyes glowed with satisfaction and she triumphantly high fived both Lenny and Stephanie. They knew it. The sister did play a big part in this. Her eyes met Stephanie's "She needs your help to find Mr. Phillips."

It was all too much to think about and Mary Lou dropped into her chair, almost slumping as if all energy had drained from her body. "Wow!" the word whooshed out of her lungs. Almost immediately the sober moment passed. This new information had now processed in her brain and Mary Lou became animated again. Both hands came down on the table and her head volleyed between her friend and her husband.

"Where?" she nearly shouted. "How?" "When?" Of course, she was asking all the questions that Stephanie had been worried about herself. The letter had not specified the answers to any of those questions. Stephanie shook her head.

"Clues," Lenny said. "If she had to be careful, she would have left some hidden clues for you to find. Then you will know how to contact her." They all thought about this for a moment.

"You need to meet with her, is that safe?" Mary Lou asked.

Probably not, was Stephanie's first thought. But that was not the point. Mr. Phillips needed to be found. His sister was asking for help. Ranger had said that they needed to hurry. Her spidey sense surged, prompting her into action. "Clues!" Stephanie said, her eyes met Lenny's. "Clues!" she said again directing her gaze at Mary Lou.

"They are in here somewhere." With new purpose, she turned her attention to the things scattered on the table. Lenny and Mary Lou joined in. Three sets of hands and three sets of eyes ready to find the clues they had been missing before.

. .

"It would be easier to do this at RangeMan," Hector said. He had his phone in his hand, Woody was on the line, feeding them information as it was found. Ranger nodded, but did not look up from Eric's phone. The image he was studying showed the most official looking unofficial order that he had ever seen. Eric's boss was obviously covering his ass while conducting an illegal search for Jeffrey Phillips.

Eric had told him that the resources being used in the search had not been discovered because the manpower had been provided by the mob. What Mac was doing was helping them figure out where to search. By tapping into the government databases, Mac was narrowing down the possible places Phillips might be.

Though it surprised him when he realized it, Ranger was glad to know that Phillips had not placed himself in the WITSEC program. He could not help but admire the fact that the man had gone out on his own and had remained hidden for all these years. That took a lot of guts and intelligence. Of course, it also meant that finding someone who could fly under the radar for so long was going to be more than a little bit tricky.

Ranger scrolled through the pictures on the phone. The pages that Eric had photographed gave detailed lists of where the men from the mob had looked and where they were looking now. Dates spanned back to the year that Phillips disappeared and he could see that their searches had taken them all the way down to Mexico, and up into Canada, and to a whole lot of places in between.

The page that interested him the most now contained notes about possible sightings. Only one man, it seemed, had reported seeing Phillips. These were handwritten notes and Ranger was finding it hard to read the writing.

It was then that Hector spoke up again. "Woody," he simply said as he passed his phone to Ranger after listening for a moment, Ranger peered closely at Eric's phone. He nodded several times before passing Hector's phone back to him.

"It may be worse than we thought," Ranger said quietly so that only Tank and Hector would hear. "Woody says they deciphered these notes," he said holding out the phone for them to see. "Looks like Phillips was spotted a month ago."

With a slight shake of his head, Tank asked, "Where?" Before the answer came, there was another knock at the door. Tank shrugged and as he moved over to the door he held up one finger to say wait. Then he pulled open the door, again.

. .

For another minute Lula tried to think really hard. Finally, the thought she was looking for came to her and she grabbed up her phone from the seat beside her. Dialing Stephanie's number, she continued her tapping on the steering wheel as she waited for her friend to pick up the call.

After the first ring, Lula added her feet to the rhythm her fingers were tapping out. Her head started bobbing along after the second ring, but by the time Stephanie's phone rang a third time, Lula was beside herself with frustration. "Come on, Steph, ya gotta answer your phone!" she cried. Her hand squeezed the phone tighter and she pressed it harder to her ear as if, by sheer force, she could somehow convey the urgency she felt.

No matter how many times she tried to call, Stephanie did not answer, leaving Lula with only one option left. Taking a deep breath, Lula stuck her head out the window to check for traffic. "I'ma coming through!" she yelled. Her car, shining in the bright sunlight, growled into action. She yanked the steering wheel hard, making a U-turn across all four lanes.

Honking horns and screeching brakes accompanied her maneuver. But Lula ignored the angry shouts and cursing that could be heard over the ruckus she had caused. Didn't they know that she had somewhere important to get to?!

Now heading in the opposite direction, she picked up her speed. No time to lose now that she had made her decision. If anyone could help her find Edna, it would be Stephanie. Truthfully, Lula only felt good about part of her current plan. She wanted to get to Edna as fast as she could, but there was no way that Lula wanted to explain to Stephanie why it was so important to find her grandmother.

All the way to Stephanie's apartment, Lula tried to justify what had happened last night. Some fun, that is all that Lula and Edna had been after. And they had been having a great time. Nothing really bad happened. At least not until Lula got hungry and talked Edna into stopping in at the all-night deli.

Her mind was spinning but Lula could not come up with a great version of the story that she could tell Stephanie. All too soon, she had arrived at her friend's apartment. Pulling into the parking lot, Lula cursed under her breath when she saw that there was no place to park. Not even next to the stinky trash bin in the corner.

She was still torn between the need to hurry and find Edna and her reluctance to confess the truth to Stephanie, but in the end, urgency won out and Lula quickly backed out of the parking lot to look for another place to leave her car.

Running as fast as she could in her knockoff Spigos, Lula reached the lobby door and grabbed at the handle. Her momentum carried her through the door and in a few more steps she punched the button for the elevator. She gasped for breath, leaning heavily against the wall to keep from falling.

A bell dinged and Lula snapped her head up in time to watch the doors slide slowly open. Suddenly a head popped out. "Going up?" The tiny lady with purple hair smiled big. "Come in, come in," she said, waving Lula into the elevator. "Where are you going?" she asked.

It was all Lula could do to answer, but held up her hand making what at first looked like a victory sign and managed to say "Two" with a burst of air from her lungs. Then she leaned back to catch her breath on the ride up. The lady patted her on the back as she left the elevator, but Lula just didn't have the energy to say anything more.

Even the walk to Stephanie's door seemed to take a lot out of her, but Lula was determined. She stood up straight and pounded on the door. Taking in a few deep breaths, she finally felt her heart rate slowing. By the time the door opened she felt a bit better. Until the shock of who was standing there took her breath away again.

The door opened, and Lula was staring at the wide chest of a big man. Her head tilted back, back, back until she could look up at his face. Lula stared at him, so stunned she was unable to even blink. While her brain desperately tried to process why he was here, Lula couldn't find a single word to say.

"Can I help you?" he said with a smirk. His deep voice reverberated in her skull, further complicating her ability to think.

"Uh," she sputtered. Lula was seldom at a loss for words but this was a fine looking man and she could not help but wonder why she couldn't have found a man like him on her adventures last night. When the memory hit, her eyes flew open. Last night. "Stephanie," she managed to shout out. "Is Stephanie here?"

. .


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Where was her daughter? Helen's head was pounding, she needed to talk to Stephanie, she needed to know what her mother had been up to, and she needed a way to get away from the watchful eye of Officer Joe Morelli. But what was she going to do? She had absolutely no answers to any of these problems.

With no other choice, Helen led the way to the garage. Sure enough, there was the gas can that Frank always kept in case of an emergency. She watched Joe heft the full five gallon can. He made it look so easy. For a split second, she admired the muscles, the strength she was seeing. Red-faced and abashed she shook it off and meekly followed him out to his car.

The only thing she was grateful for now was that Officer Morelli was an undercover cop and he did not drive a patrol car. What would the neighbors think if they saw her getting into a police car? With the gas can safely in the trunk, Joe opened the door for Helen. She almost gave him a warm smile of appreciation for his gentlemanly gesture, but quickly thought better of it. Instead, she raised her chin just a little higher as she sat down on the seat.

Her display was not lost on Joe. Now he was even more convinced that Stephanie's mother had something to hide. He couldn't wait to see where this was going. Taking his time, Joe moved around the car, he figured the more uncomfortable Mrs. Plum became, the more information he could eventually get out of her.

Following her directions, Joe pulled up behind the big blue car stranded at the side of the road. A shudder passed involuntarily through his body, he still remembered being hit by this huge ugly car. Sometimes when it rained, his leg reminded him of the time that Stephanie plowed right into him with it. Seeing the car up close and personal now was so much more uncomfortable than he had imagined it could be. Mentally, he pushed aside his fears of the stupid car.

After a few minutes, Officer Morelli had emptied the gas into the tank of her car and Helen had a decision to make. First, she thanked him profusely as he loaded the empty can into the back of big blue. Then she made a production of getting settled behind the wheel. Setting her purse next to her on the seat she pulled the phone from her pocket and dropped it into the purse. She took her time putting on the seat belt and was dismayed that Joe was still there, watching, waiting.

The old car roared into life, growling and sputtering for a few seconds before belching one last loud backfire. Helen waved at Joe and pulled her car out into the street. At first, she was relieved to see that he was not immediately following her. Maybe she had been wrong about his intentions, she thought as she pulled into the gas station several blocks away.

She jumped out of her car to fill the tank, five gallons was a good start, but she was not going anywhere in this gas guzzler without a full tank. After paying for the gas and getting back on the road, however, Helen spotted Officer Morelli coming up behind her. Panic struck, she stomped on the gas pedal and raced down the street. Helen took one turn after another in a misguided attempt to lose him. It did not work, he was still there.

No matter how many scenarios she played out in her mind, Helen knew that it was inevitable that the police were going to find her mother. The only thing she could do now was to ensure that she was there when it happened. With a heavy sigh of resignation, Helen headed in the direction of Stephanie's apartment. Defeat made her feel sick.

The chase was over and Joe smiled big and broad now. He kept right behind Mrs. Plum as she drove right to Stephanie's building. This was better than he could have hoped for. His instincts as a police detective told him that Mrs. Mazur indeed had something big to hide if she came here to avoid going home to be found there.

Mrs. Plum was having a hard time finding a place to park. After pulling over against the red curb, he watched her squeeze the big car into what was not really a spot in the back of the lot. It took a long time for her to step out of her car. Stalling, he thought, but finally, she headed to the building. Joe followed her in at a respectable distance. Helen tried to pretend that he was not there. Joe chuckled. Oh yeah, this was going to be fun.

. .

Light from the full moon filtered down through the overgrown pine trees sprinkling the small trailer with barely enough light for Jeffrey to make out the landscape. The land of many lakes was nearby, scenic and beautiful, but he had not really noticed. His only objective was to remain hidden and hopefully keep a step ahead of the mob until Trina found him.

Shadows played with the wind, dancing in and around the trunks of the trees, leaving him unsure if he was alone in the remote woods. Constantly looking over his back was wearing on him, his imagination seemed to constantly be playing cruel tricks on him.

"Maybe this was not such a great place to hide," he muttered, his eyes scanning, searching for any hint that someone had followed him here. Breaking out in a nervous sweat, despite the sweltering summer temperatures did nothing to settle his nerves.

Swallowing down his fears again, Jeffrey secured the small curtains covering every window in the trailor. He had come this far, had been able to avoid detection for so long, he wasn't about to let the light from his computer give away his location now.

As he had every night for years, Jeffrey searched the internet. Certain of the picture he was painting, he knew that the more data he could find to support his theories, the better. It was going to take a lot to bring down Warren Holmes and his gang of conspirators.

Sitting back, Jeffrey rolled his eyes, waxing poetic like this must mean that it was getting late. Wearily he closed his laptop. His hand hovered, lingering for a moment longer before he dragged himself to bed. Crawling onto the thin lumpy mattress, he hoped that tonight he could get some sleep.

Fatigue, it seemed, was the one thing that could smother his fears, overcome his panic. The slow heavy wave of slumber finally washed over him. Though his mind fought hard to stay awake, it too began to slip down into the weight of sleep. His last thought was of home. Home.

. .

Woody held his cell phone in his hand as he moved quickly from one end of the control room to the other. Jose was monitoring the surveillance team watching Arnie. Through his earpiece, he could hear most of what was going on around Mike. Every so often, Mike would describe Arnie's movements, his voice was low and Jose could detect just how much Mike loathed this man. Everyone who knew Arnie would feel the same and Jose caught himself nodding his own agreement.

"He is on the move," Mike's low voice said. Jose made some notations and contacted the team outside of the bar.

"Keep with him as far as you can," Jose was saying as he heard Mike settle his bill and move through the noisy room. There seemed to be an amazing amount of patrons in the bar this early in the day. Guess it takes all kinds, Jose shrugged. Once the door closed, the sounds changed, cars honking, men shouting.

Jose waved Woody over. "Something's going on," he said.

"Patch me into the feed," Woody said as he quickly picked up a set of headphones. "Les," he said. "What do you guys see?"

Three voices started talking all at once. "You are not going to believe this," Mike said, it sounded like he was running.

"It's Holmes!" Les said, "He's gotta be drunk!"

"Woody," Ian said. "We could have a situation down here. The guy is out of control, somebody's gonna get hurt.

Something was definitely wrong. Arnie had never talked to Holmes in public, in fact, it had been it both of their interests to not ever been seen together, but here the man was shouting his name, rushing at him. No, this was not right, not at all. The only thing he could do was get out of there, and fast. If Holmes was determined to cause a scene, it would be better back in a deserted alley and away from prying eyes. After all, Arnie had his reputation to protect. So did the mayor for that matter.

Arnie started running, Holmes, still shouting, followed, as did Mike. When he got to the entrance of the obvious dead end, Mike ducked around the corner and hid behind a huge pile of discarded lumber. He found his hiding place just in time, as Holmes came barreling by only seconds later.

"I'll kill you!" Holmes growled. He started laughing when he saw that Arnie was trapped. Stupid man had run right into a dead end. His feet slowed, he had his prey in sight, but Holmes tripped, barely catching himself before he fell on his face. His eyes flashed with anger. He was not laughing now.

Both Mike and Arnie, from opposite vantage points, could clearly see that the mayor seemed to be drunk. Mike made a quick decision.

"Les, Ian," he said under his breath. "How quick can you get to the alley?"

No answer was needed, the beat-up looking truck they had been driving pulled up and blocked the opening of the alley. Three men, two of them dressed in black, advanced in a line. Arnie knew who they were, of course, he did, everyone knew the men in black. Holmes, however, did not see them coming. He was completely unaware of their presence until the very moment he felt strong hands gripping his arms.

"You can come with us," one of his captors said. Holmes was enraged.

"Do you know who I am?" he howled as they dragged him to the truck. "I am your mayor," he sputtered, indignant at being manhandled like this. "I'll have your badges for this!"

To his credit, Arnie did not put up a fight when he was approached. He knew it was a battle he would lose. If there was one thing he was good at, it was saving his own ass. Without a word he walked with Ian to the truck and crawled in. Ignoring Holmes, who was still spewing all kinds of threats, Arnie let Ian put on the wrist restraints. No matter what RangeMan wanted from his now, it was going to be better than anything he could hope for from the cops that Holmes would turn him over to.

"Bring them here," Woody said. He put down the headphones and spoke into his cell. "Um, Hector, tell Ranger that we will have two guests in holding in about fifteen minutes."

. .

Tank was trying not to laugh. Stephanie's friend had a flair for the absurd as evidenced not only with her outfit but by the thoughts that so plainly marched across her face. Admiration was there, obviously. While that was always a good thing, Tank could see that it had been mixed with smoldering craving and, quite honestly, that actually scared him a little.

It pained him to open the door wider and let her in, who knew what kind of trouble this woman could drag in with her. Tank knew the rumors about Lula. He also knew that many of them were true. Still, he did not stand in her way when she pushed her way in calling for Stephanie.

Her head swiveled on her neck as Lula searched the small apartment for her friend. She took everything in, and her eyes, of their own volition, followed Tank as he moved back over to talk to Ranger. Her steps faltered, there were not one, not two, but three RangeMen here, in Stephanie's place. Her brain was having trouble processing that.

To preserve her sanity, Lula did her best to ignore the group of fine men in black standing in the living room. Putting on metaphoric blinders she headed straight to the kitchen, stopping short when she saw Mary Lou and Lenny standing there. Stephanie looked up. "Hey Lula," she said. "Did I forget something we were supposed to do today?"

"What the..." Lula was having a hard time finding the words to say. What was going on here? "Uh, no," she finally said. "I was looking for your granny."

In her own confusion, Lula missed the confused look on Stephanie's face. Lula was distracted by the pile of apparent garbage on the table. Strange. It wasn't until a strangled sound came from Stephanie's throat that Lula turned her attention back to her friend.

As Lula watched her, Stephanie seemed to be moving in slow motion. They stared at each other for what seemed like the longest time. Finally, Stephanie turned her head, her focus on something, or someone, Lula realized when she followed her gaze. There was Edna, all curled up and sleeping in a chair.

Ignoring the big gorgeous men in the other room had effectively allowed Lula to miss seeing Edna on her way through the apartment. Edna was here. Lula felt relief wash over her to see that her new friend was okay. But that feeling only lasted for a few seconds.

"What happened with you and my grandmother last night?" Stephanie was asking. This is exactly what Lula had been afraid of. How could she say anything at all if Edna had not chosen to talk to Stephanie about their misadventures? Lula closed her eyes, trying to think hard was giving her a headache again.

The best thing, she finally decided, was to grab Edna and high tail it out of here. It was time they had a talk, they both needed to get their stories straight. Don the Deli man may not have been overly upset about the damage done to his shop, but the same might not hold with the other store owners nearby.

It's just that Edna looked so peaceful sleeping there. "Lula?" Stephanie said again. "What happened?"

Lula closed her eyes again and took a deep breath. It was not what she wanted, but it looked like there was no other way around it now. She was going to have to explain everything to Stephanie. Her hands settled on her abundant hips and Lula huffed out the air from her lungs. "It's like this, Steph," she began. "Your granny and me, we..."

Insistent knocking on the door interrupted her and Lula froze.

Across the room, Tank rolled his eyes and headed toward the door, yet again.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

For the men seated at the long conference room table, downtown Trenton was never the first place they wanted to be. Though the business plazas along the Delaware River were very picturesque, as evidenced by the views from the fifteenth-floor windows, there were way too many government agencies housed here and that made them just a bit uncomfortable.

The man who had called this meeting was currently standing near the floor to ceiling window. Every eye was on him but no one said a word. They wouldn't, no matter how uncomfortable or impatient they became. The power he controlled was too far reaching for them to risk his wrath. So they sat and waited. And waited.

Tall, dark, imposing in his expensive Italian suit, he stared out at the river far below. The same summer heat that rose in shimmers from the surface of the water could be felt radiating through the glass of the window next to him. How he hated it here in Trenton. His eyebrows dipped together in disgust. He could be enjoying the views from his penthouse in Atlantic City, but no, the problems that had haunted him for over a decade now had dragged him here again. His scowl deepened. He was not pleased.

Once again, the phone in his breast pocket vibrated with another message. Unrushed, he removed the phone and read the words on the screen. Mayor Holmes was nowhere to be found. When he had left the office hours ago, it had been assumed that he was heading downtown. Yet here they all were, still waiting for his arrival.

As he slipped the phone back into his pocket, the man obviously in charge, turned to face the assembled group. There was no excuse for Holmes' behavior. If it hadn't been for the fact that he was so popular with the voters in this state, this headache could have, would have, been disposed of years ago. As it stood, too much had been invested in their little pet monkey to upset matters now. Still, he placated himself with the thought that there would be consequences.

Suddenly the door opened and every head turned to see the assistant to the mayor roughly escorted into the room. The two burly men who had accompanied him nodded to the man at the window. The nearly dropped the man they brought in and quickly backed out of the door closing it behind them.

The man almost fell forward without the support of those hand on him, but he righted himself just in time. Still, he was unsteady and unsettled when the dark man spoke.

"Holmes?" came the question. The voice deep, low, and menacing.

"I don't know where he is," the assistant sputtered, obviously shaken and annoyed by his treatment. His eyes scanned the room searching for someone, anyone, to be his ally, perhaps his protector. He found no one. Desperate now, he turned to face the head of the families. The man with the power to save him or destroy him. "He was supposed to be here, he left hours ago."

He had spoken out of turn, he realized that now and immediately hung his head, avoiding eye contact. For what seemed like an eternity he waited with his heart in his throat. He could barely breathe now, his mind raced through every scenario, every possible outcome of this situation. His discomfort increased with each passing moment. Anger at Holmes, that had started when the mayor left for this meeting without him, was now at a full rolling boil as he started to understand the gravity of the trouble he was in... correction - the trouble they were both in.

"And what should we do about that." The assistant shrank back, fear pushed most of the anger from his mind. He was quite aware that it was not a question that needed an answer, at least from him.

. .

Stephanie looked from Lula to the door and back to Lula again. She thought that she had given up on imagining what kind of trouble her grandmother could possibly get into, but the look on her friend's face now made her think that it might be worse than she could have ever dreamed up.

This was not happening. Stephanie closed her eyes and tried to bring some calm into her mind. It almost worked, for a split second, there had been a glimmer, but then her phone buzzed in her pocket breaking the spell. Her heart and head were pounding as she pulled it out and looked at the screen.

She had been screening her calls all day, most of which she had ignored. She knew that this was one, however, was one that she better answer so Stephanie hit the button and put the phone up to her ear.

"Daddy?" she said, hoping her dad had not noticed the nervous tremble in her voice.

"Hello, pumpkin!" he said. The words came booming over the line, a lot louder than he had intended, but Frank Plum was so relieved that Stephanie had answered the phone, he couldn't help it. "Everything all right?" he asked just to be sure.

Frank had just come back home after taking a taxi run out to the airport. He had not been gone all that long, at least to his thinking, but trouble did not take long to find his daughter and that is exactly what he feared when he saw that the big blue Buick was not in the garage. "Was there an accident?" he asked.

What was he talking about? Stephanie was totally confused but before she could answer him, her father continued peppering her with frantic questions. "Are you okay?" "What happened?" "Were you alone?" "Does your mother know?"

"Dad nothi..." Stephanie stopped in mid-sentence. Tank was at the door again. Stephanie had been watching, curious. Who was being so insistent and, quite frankly, so rude pounding on the door like that? Tank's hand had just turned the knob when the door burst open and in marched Helen Plum, closely followed by Joe Morelli. "Um, dad, no accident. Mom is here." Stephanie was stunned. Without thinking she stuffed the phone into her pocket, the conversation with her father temporarily forgotten.

Scanning the small and overcrowded room, Helen found what she was looking for. Edna was tucked into an old upholstered chair, one of the castoffs that Valerie had given to Stephanie when she moved out to California. Helen was slightly surprised to see that Stephanie still had it, it had been so long ago. Still, the thought came to her mind that it was the best piece of furniture in the whole place.

Helen was torn now. She had come to help protect her mother, but the look on Stephanie's face told her that Edna's problems were not the only thing going on here today. Indecision stopped her in her tracks and Helen just stood there shaking her head. What was the best thing to do? Glancing at her mother again, Helen felt a tear or two in her eyes, she looked almost angelic when she was asleep like this.  
Almost made it hard to believe that she caused so much trouble when she was awake.

Wearily Helen looked up at her daughter. Too many questions, no answers. Helen shrugged, she was not even sure that she wanted to know what her mother had been up to anymore. Worse though, was how she felt about leading the police right to Edna.

Strange, she thought, there had been a time when Helen had looked at Joe Morelli as a bad influence on the other kids in the neighborhood. Later, he was a handsome man with an important job and Helen felt that Stephanie was lucky to be with someone like him. Now, however, he was threatening her mother, her family and Helen had no more use for the man.

Everyone in the apartment watched as she purposefully walked over to where her mother slept and took her stand. Helen planted her feet, shoulder width apart. She folded her arms over her chest and lifted her chin, like she had before, in a show of defiance.

. .

"Mom?" Stephanie questioned. What was she doing here? Did she know what had happened with her grandmother? And Joe, what on earth would he be doing with her mother, and why had he come here. This was all starting to be too much for her, but before she could do or say anything else, she heard Lula gasp. Now what?

Everyone else may have been watching Helen, but Lula watched Morelli as his eyes zeroed in on Edna. Oh no, it was as bad as she had feared, the cops had found them. Her heart was pounding and the only thought in her mind was that she and Edna should have already been gone.

Lula did not look well, her skin had paled and tiny beads of sweat dotted her forehead. Stephanie could understand most of her reaction. As much as Lula had always tried to think of Joe Morelli as the friend of a friend, for Stephanie's benefit, she never quite got over the fact that he was, in fact, a cop. Lula did not like cops. Never had, never would. Now Stephanie wondered if Lula actually had a reason to be worried about seeing one.

At first, Lula had become frozen in place, unable to move or take a breath. No one but Stephanie had noticed her reaction until she suddenly was on the move. Lula darted left, toward Edna, maybe she thought she was going to grab her and high tail it out of there, but then she thought better of it.

Her next move was to put as much between herself and the cop as possible so she circled around behind the kitchen table. No one moved, they had no idea what to expect but she had surely been noticed now. The men in black exchanged glances, eyebrows lifting ever so slightly in question. Morelli watched her actions with confusion.

As if something snapped deep inside of her, Lula began muttering to herself. "No, no, no..." she repeated the words over and over again getting stronger and louder, her desperation turning into anger. The cogs in her brain were turning, she had to find a new plan and fast. In a flash, it came to her and Lula knew what she needed to do.

Her hands sifted through the piles of stuff on the table. There had to be something here that she could use as a weapon or a diversion or something. At least she hoped so, her revised plan was to distract the cop enough to make her escape. Frantically she pushed things around. Papers, books, nothing here was going to help. In frustration, she bumped the old, battered leather case onto the floor. It popped open and Lula spied something long and metal looking. Finally, a weapon!

In one swift move, she bent to grab it, coming up with both hands on the flute, wielding it like a sword. Ranger and his men looked on. Mary Lou grabbed Lenny who wrapped a protective arm around her, Stephanie backed up a few steps to get out of Lula's range and Helen spread her arms wide, a human shield to protect her mother. Morelli was speechless.

Lula was getting into the action now, one hand forcefully thrust the flute forward swishing it left and right and left again like Zorro. With one particularly energetic flick of her wrist, something flew out of the end of the flute, hitting Joe smack dab in the middle of his forehead. Lula gasped and dropped the flute. Joe sputtered angrily and Stephanie lunged forward to pick up the small glass tube.

All attention was now on Stephanie. The glass had cracked, Stephanie tried to stifle a little chuckle, Joe was always hardheaded, and here was proof. She kept her head down, giving the impression that she was closely examining the tube. The moment of mirth passed.

She was looking at it now. Her fingers pried the cork from one end and it came out with a pop. Tuning the tube over Stephanie dumped the contents into her hand. Then she held up a slender candle and a match wrapped up together with a thin ribbon.

It was as if time had stopped. Everyone stared at the candle, most of them were confused. But Stephanie and Mary Lou seemed to figure out the puzzle at exactly the same moment. Like pushing a reset button, their focus was back on the reason that had brought most of them here today.

With a sharp intake of breath, Mary Lou jumped toward the table picking through the pile to find the pages she wanted. Lenny caught on and came to help. They handed the papers off to Stephanie and she began to lay them out along the counter.

Ranger was suddenly at her side and Stephanie looked up at him gratefully. She handed him the candle. "Light it," she said. "I think we will find our answers now."

. .


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

On assignment now, Eric hurried to meet up with the other members of his team. Joining an operation already underway had become part of his job description. As it was in this case, surveillance and the gathering of Intel had already started, it was now up to Eric to assist with the seizure of assets.

Generally, this part of the operation was considered safe, easy even, to people outside of the department. It had been Eric's experience, however, that more often or not, there would be at least one person who did not want their property confiscated. Showing up to stop it from happening was always an interesting choice, after all, they would be going up against the US Marshalls.

Highly trained, extremely accurate, Eric was one of their best shots, which is exactly why he had been called in. Rumors of a coordinated effort to take back the merchandise from the interrupted drug operation had already started. Having not one, but two branches of the mob to deal with could get hairy very quickly. Pulling in the best they had was the way that the Marshalls prepared for the inevitable battle.

Stepping out of the car, Eric looked around at the scenery before him. Far from the concrete jungles or the desolate desert landscapes that were associated with drug raids and mob control, he stood on the edge of a lush green forest.

This time it was the Canadian border that was playing host to the operation. Eric let his eyes linger on the tall trees, their branches reaching up into the clear blue sky. A photographers paradise, not to mention all of the people who loved hiking and boating in these kinds of nature's playgrounds.

Righteous anger simmered just under Eric's calm features. Ruining this beauty by bringing their drug operations here was truly heinous. Eric would hold onto these feelings when he took them down. He marched purposefully into the motel that was currently serving as headquarters for his assignment.

After the briefing, Eric began his preparations. His mind staying focused on what was about to go down. As if they were following a script, key players from the mob were putting themselves into place. How dumb could they get? Not to jinx it or anything, Eric thought, but they were making it way too easy for him. He was not being cocky, he was just amazed at how predictable these guys could be.

The games were about to begin. He was ready.

. .

The call with Stephanie ended so abruptly Frank felt his fear building again. So, maybe there had not been a car explosion, or an accident to total another one of her cars, but there was definitely something happening with his daughter. "Stephanie?" he said tentatively, hoping that maybe she was still on the line. "Stephanie?" his voice a bit louder this time.

Taking another look at his phone, he confirmed that the call had been dropped. Frank took a deep breath. There was only one thing to do. He grabbed his keys and jumped back into his car. What kind of trouble was Stephanie in now? He would go and find out. If his girl needed protection, he was going to be there to make sure she got it.

He was racing through the burg now. As long as he didn't get pulled over by any of Trenton's finest, he would get to Stephanie's in record time. With one eye on the road and the other in the rear-view mirror, Frank zipped through the streets thanking the traffic gods for giving him green lights nearly the whole way.

With no place to park once he got there, Frank left his car a block away and ran to his daughter's building. Once again, fate smiled down on him. The doors of the elevator opened just as he walked into the lobby. He smiled at the little lady with hair the color of grape kool-aid. It felt odd to be exchanging pleasantries here when he felt the urgency reach his daughter. He waved goodbye when he stepped out into the hall. Frank watched the doors close again, just shaking his head. Too strange, but somehow it all fit in Stephanie's weird world.

Her door was only a few steps away and Frank could already hear loud voices from Stephanie's apartment. That tingle of fear crawled up into his throat. "I'm coming pumpkin," he wanted to shout, but no words came out.

With his urgency kicking up a notch, he did not bother with knocking. Frank grabbed the doorknob, feeling it give way when his hand gave it a strong twist. The door flew open and he burst inside. The place was so crowded Frank nearly bumped right into a huge man all dressed in black. Stephanie's friend, his mind supplied the necessary information and Frank advanced into the living room.

What greeted him was beyond comprehension. Helen was standing spread eagled with Edna curled up in a chair behind her. That kid, the cop Joe Morelli, stood there with his hand on his forehead and he seemed to be glaring at everyone. One more guy dressed in black fatigues held a phone to his ear. Stephanie and her friends were flinging papers around the kitchen while yet another man in black stood with a candle in his hands.

What in the Sam Hill was going on? "Helen!" he shouted out over the chaos. "Helen, what are you doing?"

Frank watched as Helen's face reflected first anger, then confusion, and finally relief. Her hands lowered as she sort of gave him a little shrug. Where could she even begin to explain what had been happening to her this afternoon?

Edna was awake now and she unfolded her legs to sit up in the chair. She looked around trying to shake the strange dream from her foggy mind. Helen was here? And her friend Lula? And, OMG a cop. Oh, wait. Edna skidded that thought to a halt. This particular cop was a friend of Stephanie's, Helen had been going on and on about how great it would be if Stephanie settled down with a handsome man with an important job.

So, she thought, maybe Helen had brought him here to see Stephanie. That would make sense, kind of. What made no sense at all was the look on the cop's face and his hand on his head. But no one seemed to be paying any attention to the officer. Curious. Edna turned her attention back to Helen, it looked like she was going to have a nervous breakdown. Again, Edna thought, her daughter didn't handle stress very well.

A pang of guilt reminded Edna that she had been a pretty constant source of the stress in Helen's life. She felt bad about that, she did. It was good that Frank was always there to soothe his wife. Like he was doing now. His arm around her shoulders, he was whispering soft words in Helen's ears. So cute.

Suddenly, Lula was next to Edna, her finger to her lips indicating that they needed to be quiet. Edna gave her a confused look but Lula just motioned her head toward the door. Together they circled around the men standing in the living room concentrating on the phones in their hands. The ladies were silent as they approached the door.

Lula's gaze took in everyone in the apartment. Nobody was looking her way, this was the chance she needed. Grabbing Edna's hand she opened the door just enough for them to slip through, she closed it gently. Then Lula did something she never thought she would, she raced to the stairs. There was no time to wait for the elevator. Getting caught standing in the hall waiting was not something she was willing to risk.

Just to be safe, Lula took off her shoes and started descending the stairs. Edna, also without shoes, was right behind her. Excitement mixed with a bit of fear made her heart pound in her ears. She was beginning to understand why they needed to sneak away from Stephanie's apartment. The same reason she went there in the first place was the best reason to get as far away as she could now.

It finally occurred to her that Joe the cop was not there to talk to Stephanie. If Lula's actions were any indication, someone must have discovered their involvement in that incident last night. Answering questions was not something she wanted to do right now, especially because she was still trying to figure out exactly how it had all happened.

"Quick," Lula whispered. "Get into the car," she said as she opened the door and threw her shoes into the back seat. Edna ran around to the other side of the car and opened the door. She climbed in, gently pulling the door closed without making any sounds. They both cringed at the noise the engine made but there was no helping that.

Without another word, Lula maneuvered the car out onto the street. They had made it, the getaway had gone more smoothly than Lula had hoped. Now she just had to figure out where they could go to lay low for a while.

. .

It couldn't be that simple. Stephanie looked up at Mary Lou who gave her a little wink. They had played this game when they were kids. It had been Mary Lou's idea to send secret messages. Using lemon juice as her ink and a Q-tip as her quill, the words were invisible until they were exposed to heat.

She was going to be embarrassed if she was wrong. But there was no stopping now. Ranger lit the candle and handed it to her. Stephanie carefully passed the flame back and forth under the page in her hand. One by one, words began to appear. Highlighted by the magic ink. A collective gasp showed everyone's surprise and relief that it had worked. Once cooled, the color disappeared again.

Watching the slow process of using the candle, Mary Lou dropped the paper in her hands onto the counter and rushed into the other room. Seconds later she came back with Stephanie's lamp. The shade had been removed, giving easy access to the light bulb. It was easier this way so she blew out the candle in Stephanie's hand. Page after page they heated the 'ink' and revealed the highlighted words. Excitement gave way to confusion. They had to figure out what all the random words meant.

"Page numbers," Stephanie said suddenly. "There have to be page numbers. Look in the corners."

Mary Lou squealed when a number appeared on the top right-hand corner of the page she held. "8," she said, smiling in appreciation that Stephanie had thought of it. Papers were handed to her quickly, and once the numbers were revealed Lenny started laying out the pages in order on the kitchen floor. They were going to have to keep them in order to see if there was a message in these words.

Ranger stepped back and watched the frenzy. Slick, he thought. Sending copies of the newspaper articles had not been for the information they contained, instead, they served as a source to deliver the clues. He had to give the lady credit, this had been an effective way to ensure the secrecy of her message on the off chance that someone could have intercepted it.

With the pages lined up, Stephanie and Mary Lou went over each paper, circling the words that had been marked. Not every page had highlighted words on them and that was a bit confusing at first. They double checked everything. It was slow going but at last, the message seemed to be complete.

"She wants to meet with me," Stephanie said looking up from her kneeling position. "Tomorrow morning."

Ranger stepped forward now extending his hand to help her stand. There was no way that Stephanie was going to do this alone and Stephanie got the message loud and clear when their eyes met. She nodded, she was in complete agreement. They would have to do this right, there was no way that she would endanger this poor girl who had gone to such trouble to arrange this meeting.

With one smooth movement, Ranger pulled Stephanie into his arms. In return, she wrapped her arms around his waist. Her head rested on his shoulder and for one blissful moment, the world dropped away.

When she opened her eyes, Stephanie was surprised to find that actually, they were more alone than she had realized. She looked around the once crowded apartment. Lenny was helping Mary Lou gather up at the papers. Tank sat on the couch, his feet up on the coffee table and his phone in his hands.

No one else was there. At her confused look, Ranger offered an abbreviated explanation. "Your dad came and took your mother home." She nodded and he continued. "Lula disappeared with your grandmother, a fact that upset the cop." Stephanie noticed that Ranger refused to say Joe's name and it almost made her laugh, but she kept a straight face and waited to hear what he had to say next.

"I told Hector to follow Lula," Ranger almost smiled himself at that. "He has already confirmed that it was an easy thing to do. Her car is hard to miss." Ranger did smile now. "When the cop realized that they were gone, he took off too." When Stephanie stiffened in alarm, Ranger was quick to finish his thought.

"But don't worry, the ladies had enough of a head start, he has no idea where they went."

Stephanie relaxed again after knowing there would be no more drama with her grandmother for a while. Reluctantly, she stepped out of Ranger's arms to help clean up the mess in her kitchen. He kissed her on the top of her head and walked into the other room.

Mary Lou had watched the whole exchange. She had her reservations about Ranger. He had always seemed so elusive and mysterious, not to mention dangerous. But seeing them together, she could not help but feel that they were so right for each other. Lenny heard her little sigh and looked over at his wife to see that familiar look on her face. She was s sucker for a happy ending.

He set the pile of papers down and walked over to her. Solving puzzles also made Mary Lou happy. This particular mystery, however, was far from over and they both knew it. There was nothing more that they could do today and she was going to hate waiting to see what would happen.

"The kids," he simply said. And just like that Mary Lou switched gears back into mom mode.

"Hey, Steph," Mary Lou said. "We are going to take off now." She pulled her friend in for a hug. "You going to be okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Stephanie said, her eyes strayed, looking over at Ranger. "Yeah, I think everything is going to be alright."

Though Mary Lou had been referring to the meeting with Mr. Phillips sister in the morning, she had no doubt that Stephanie was talking about her situation with Ranger. She patted Stephanie's hand before walking over to the door. "Let me know what happens." Now Stephanie understood the double meaning and she smiled.

"Okay," she said. "And thank you! For everything!"

. .


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"Well," Arnie muttered. "This is mighty fine for a holding cell." He patted the thick pad on the bunk where he sat. Cozy. His back leaned up against the wall. He knew it was impenetrable, concrete probably, but it was not cold like the lockup at county. Arnie sighed with contentment. He could do a whole lot worse than this.

The guys at RangeMan were tough but fair. Though he had no idea what brought him here today, he was more than willing to wait it out and find out what they wanted from him. He looked around his temporary housing again. A pony wall in one corner offered privacy that he never experienced during his infrequent visits to other jails.

A class act, he decided, that is what RangeMan Inc was. He settled back onto the bunk. While there was no remote for the flat screen that was hung high up on the opposite wall, Arnie was content to doze off watching whatever was on the small TV monitor. Weather. Arnie laughed out loud. "Hot and humid, with some more hot mixed in," he said, utterly amused with himself.

No, he concluded. Until he knew what he was doing here, this was not bad. Not bad at all.

Up on the fifth floor, Woody was monitoring both of the men in the holding cells. He knew Arnie, everyone knew Arnie. He was a useful weasel. Though he did not seem to be aware of it, Arnie provided a great way to discreetly disseminate information to the right people. A little self-importance went a long way with the man. All it took was a few well-chosen words to build him up in his own eyes, then let him go and watch him walk right out and do what they wanted him to.

Woody shook his head. Pathetic. It was the other man downstairs that held Woody's attention now. The mayor was clearly drunk and out of control. Not something the man usually let anyone see. His fists had met every wall in his small cell in his unsuccessful attempts to break out of his confines. Woddy picked up the phone and called Bobby to be ready to look at the bruised and bloody knuckles that had resulted from that stupidity.

Ella would also have to be alerted too. Though Woody hated to call her in, the silver facilities behind the small wall had also come into play. The poor man did not seem to be able to hold his liquor very well. Woody had no doubt that the stench of vomit was still evident in the room, adding, he was certain, to the discomfort of their guest.

Sure enough, Holmes bellowed out his disgust, shouting his demands to the walls, as there was no one there to complain directly to. Another irritant to the man who held the highest office in the city. "Let me out of here," he screamed, his face red with the effort, his inebriation, and his frustration. "Do you know who I am?" he demanded. Woody laughed. He had used that line before. Many times. Guess he had forgotten that no one here cared.

"Yes," he said to the screen. "I know exactly who, and what, you are!"

. .

"I just can't think straight," Lula muttered, more to herself than to the woman sitting in the passenger seat. The shiny car zipped down one street after another. Lula had no idea where to go. Her own place was out of the question, as was the Plum residence. And they had already blown their cover at Stephanie's.

The beauty parlor and the funeral home and Valerie's house were ruled out immediately too, though Lula did appreciate the suggestions that Edna had made. They were in this together, all the way in. In deep. So deep they had to disappear til this whole thing blew over. Of course, Lula had no idea how long that would take.

Behind them, a black truck followed at a discreet distance. "The mall," Lester said. Hector shook his head and touched the earbud in his right ear.

"No," he said. "Too public, too obvious." The car he was following made another turn. Left this time. Hector rolled his eyes, they were going in circles. "The river," Hector said. The direction they were heading now would take them downtown. It was a logical conclusion.

"Uh huh," Les said quickly. "Another public place, and besides, it's way too hot to be walking around outside. They will find someplace that is air-conditioned. You know, like the mall."

Bets had been placed with Lester. An entertaining pastime that the men all enjoyed. Lester knew he had probably lost with his guess of the mall, reluctantly admitting that Hector was right. But, it was air-conditioned, and he still maintained that the ladies would seek some comfort, as well as a refuge.

Stopped at a red light, Lula tried hard to think. Her head rested on the steering wheel, her breathing came in loud puffs.

"You've got to settle down now," Edna said soothingly. "We got away from the cop, that's a good thing." A small chuckle bubbled up in her throat. "You were somethin' else," she laughed. Lula joined in. Their escape had been fun, now that she could look back on it. Her heart had been beating so hard at the time, it was all she could hear. She couldn't remember being scared like that in a long time.

Suddenly Edna sat up and pointed. "Look," she said. "Over there."

"Aren't you Catholic?" Lula asked as she followed Edna's gaze. "That there is for the Episcopalians."

"Right!" Edna agreed. "That is why no one will ever think to look for us there."

When the light turned green, Lula headed toward the big church building. Once in the parking lot, she drove as far from the street as she could. Feeling fortunate to find a shaded a spot under a tree, Lula pulled in beside a long passenger van.

"Couldn't ask for a better place to hide your car," Edna said as she opened the door and jumped out.

Lula locked the car and motioned to Edna. They raced toward the church. Lula reaching the door first. She pulled on the handle but it would not budge. Her mouth went dry, and she made a strangled sound. Edna caught up in time to see the look on her friend's face. "What?" she said. Concerned.

"It's locked. The church is closed." Lula sputtered.

Edna had never seen that before. Her church was always open. You could slip in and pray any old time you wanted. Her eyebrows drew together and she pursed her lips in confusion. It was just not sinking in that a church could be all locked up tight.

Suddenly, she grabbed Lula's arm and motioned to the door with her head. "Look!" she said.

It took another moment or two for Lula to see what she had missed before. There was a sign on the door. _When door is locked, use parking yard entrance._

"Parking yard entrance?" Lula said.

"Parking yard entrance," Edna replied grabbing her hand and pulling her around the building in search of the door that would let them into the building.

Hector looked on with disbelief. "You aren't going to believe me," he said into his comm. Lester waited. "They are in a church!" He heard Lester laughing.

"A church?" Lester said, he could barely get the words out. "No one wins this bet."

. .

This was his favorite restaurant and Ryan couldn't help but wonder if he had missed something important when Trina surprised him by bringing him here tonight. It was not a birthday, no even giving it an extra thought, he was sure he was safe there. And he was positive that he had not missed their anniversary. Still, the possibility that he had overlooked something vitally important plagued him.

With thoughts as wild as the leopard print carpet under their feet, Ryan desperately tried to find the answer. It was not only this surprise that had him worried, Trina was not herself lately. Of course, there was always a certain amount of stress that she experienced every time a guest conductor came to work with the orchestra, but he was pretty sure that this went way beyond that. The anxiety that poured from her was at an all-time high, especially in this past week.

Once seated at their table, Trina smiled at him and took his hand in both of hers. She smiled. "I'm going to order dessert first," she said. "I will not miss out on the chocolate mousse pie this time!" There was a sparkle in her eyes as she spoke, belying the tremble that Ryan could feel in her hands. No, it was not his imagination, there was definitely something that he was missing.

His own anxiety soared when a bottle of wine and an order of crab cakes were brought to the table before they had even seen a menu. 'Wow!' Not only had she scored reservations at The Prime Rib, that has to be the busiest restaurant in Philadelphia, Trina had gone to the trouble of placing their order ahead of time as well.

Jazz spilled from the grand piano across the room filling the space between them. Trina was tapping her finger on the table in time with the rhythm. Music was her life, Ryan gave that some thought as he watched her. Her eyes were closed and the same sad smile, that he had been noticing for weeks now, just touched her lips. She was so beautiful. Even through the turmoil in his mind, he felt the tug of pride that said that she was his.

"Summertime," Trina said as the pianist started another song in his set. She looked up at Ryan and he heard the intake of breath as if she was ready to speak. Whatever she might have said in that moment was lost when the waiter appeared. Stiff in his black tux, he placed plates of food on the table and poured more wine before he moved away. Ryan felt a loss, he knew that he had missed out on something important.

Trina was talking now, sharing details of her day at work. Ryan did try to follow and he made the appropriate comments at the appropriate times, but his mind was still frantically searching for whatever it was that he was missing. On the black lacquered wall behind Trina, he stared at the painting that hung there. A lithograph, he corrected himself. By a famous artist, who was it?

All during dinner, Ryan felt his eyes straying to the image of a young lady swathed in a silver gown. He could not help the feelings that continued to haunt him. This moment that they were sharing tonight seemed to be as elusive and delicate as the art deco bubbles she was blowing. Large and shimmering, what would happen when they popped?

"You have hardly touched your salmon," Ryan commented. "Is there something wrong with it?"

The smile she gave him nearly made Ryan forget any of his misgivings. "Chocolate mousse pie," she said with a subtle shrug of her shoulders. Her beautiful eyes sparkled with a touch of mischief. "I refuse to miss out on it tonight."

Much to his delight, something shifted in that moment. For the rest of the evening Trina seemed to be calm and more relaxed than he had seen her in weeks. Ryan was so relieved it did not matter what had caused the change. It was so nice to see the love of his life this way, thoroughly enjoying each of these minutes with him.

"I have a surprise for you," she said suddenly. Some of the sparkle disappeared from her eyes even though the smile remained. Ryan felt the delicate balance in her moods shift again.

"I thought that tonight was my surprise," he said lightly, not willing to let go of the moments he had been reveling in seconds before.

"It has been lovely," she said. "Just perfect."

A name came to Ryan suddenly, Louis Icart. The Artist. One of those fragile bubbles burst when Trina reached across the table and grasped his hand. She leaned forward and kissed his knuckles before hugging his hand close to her neck. He searched her face for any sign of what was going through her mind. That tentative smile of hers was back.

Another bubble exploded with the next words she spoke. "Jeffrey is alive," she said. Ryan had to lean forward to hear her faltering voice. "We have to find him."

"Trina," he said, unsure of what to think. "He is d..."

"No," she said quickly. Tears formed in her eyes. Ryan watched as her lips trembled. The grip she had on his hand tightened. "Tomorrow," she said softly. "Tomorrow we will find him."

. .

All day long Stephanie had been running on adrenaline. It had been an emotional roller coaster ride for the last twenty-four hours and she could feel the crash starting to set in. But she was not done with what she needed to do today.

Ranger had stepped over to talk with Tank so Stephanie busied herself by cleaning up the kitchen. After organizing the pages with the instructions for the meeting tomorrow, she gathered up the contents of the mystery package and stuffed them back into the box. Uncertain if, or when she might need any of these things, she was going to hang onto to it all, just in case.

Suddenly, she felt arms circle her from behind. Stephanie melted into the warmth and strength that she felt from Ranger. "How are you doing?" he asked.

Instead of answering, Stephanie turned in his arms taking a moment to gaze up into his eyes. Finding what she needed in the dark brown depths, she wrapped her arms around him. Her head rested on his chest, and for the longest time she was content to listen to the steady beat of his heart.

Finally, Ranger led Stephanie over to the couch. It wasn't until then that she realized that they were finally alone. Tank was gone. All that remained to remind her of the events of the day was the discarded box from the deli and the circle of empty chairs.

Her mind still buzzed with an overload of information. Trina was ready to meet with her tomorrow. This lady, who she had never met, was counting on Stephanie to uncover clues to find her brother. What they had done today was only the beginning. From the message Trina had painstakingly left for her, Stephanie knew that there was so much more to learn in the morning.

Her silent reflection was being observed by Ranger. He was patient, for as long as he had known Stephanie, she had needed time to let the volumes of information she found sink in and simmer for a while before she was happy with any conclusions she came to.

No doubt what she was fretting over right now was about this Jeffrey Phillips and his sister. Ranger, however, had a few other things on his mind. He could wait. What he had to say would probably be the most important words he had ever said to anyone in his entire life. It had taken years to come to this point in his life, in his relationship with Stephanie. He could wait a few minutes more for the woman he loved to be ready to hear what he had to say.

It did not take long. Ranger watched as Stephanie turned her head to look at him. He analyzed each of the emotions that passed over her beautiful and incredibly expressive face. Confusion, worry, wonder, love. He saw it all and was humbled down to his core to know that he was the object of her deep and overwhelming feelings.

He took her hands in his as they sat facing each other on the couch. "Stephanie," he started.

"No," she quickly said. "Let me say something first." Stephanie cleared her throat, her hands twitched in his and she held on tight in order to control them. He almost smiled.

"I missed you." she finally said. "When you were gone all I wanted was to tell you that I love you."

Her mouth snapped shut and her eyes popped open, as if she was shocked that she had actually said those words. That she had finally let him know how she felt. She had waited so long for this moment and now that it was here, it was nearly impossible to believe it. "Uh," she began, trying to explain to him, to herself, why she had just blurted it out like that. Certainly, it had not come out the way she had imagined it, rehearsed it in her mind so many times.

Again, Ranger could see all of this written in her expressions. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, gentle and tentative at first, so unlike him. But as soon as she responded, deepening the kiss, he did not hold back any longer. With his arms completely enfolding her, Ranger pulled Stephanie in as if he could not get close enough to her. he lost his breath all over again when her hands found their way up his back, his neck and tangled in his hair. For the longest time, there was nothing else. Nothing but the feel of her lips, her hands. Her breath.

Finally, thoughts began to slip back into his mind. Ranger had intended to be the one to say this. All of the words that Stephanie had managed to say just now had been exactly what he wanted to tell her. Of course, he may have intended to say it in a different way, using too many words to get the message across. Hitting him like a ton of bricks, Ranger realized that he still needed to tell her how he felt. In words. As much as he was an action kind of guy, and he could definitely show her with his physical affections, he could not make that mistake again.

Some of his actions had been misinterpreted yesterday. It had been all his fault, all because he had not told her what he thinking, feeling. With a renewed surge of emotions building up inside of his chest, he knew it was time.

Ending the kiss, Ranger was ready to say the words that he knew Stephanie needed to hear. With one hand he lifted her head to look into her eyes. "Babe," he said. Stephanie nodded. She heard what he meant and he knew it, but it was not enough. "Steph," he started again. "I missed you too and I want to tell you that I love you," Ranger said, echoing her words. After all, she had said it perfectly, how can you improve on perfection?

Her arms were around his neck and she was kissing him again. Stephanie had not understood until that moment that she had needed to hear him actually say the words. That she had hoped it, that she had felt it, that she had known it, really wasn't the same as hearing it.

And now, nothing else mattered.

Tomorrow would come. Stephanie would do her best to find her old teacher. But now, she did not have to think about any of that. The man she loved was here, in her arms and he loved her!

Nothing else mattered!

. .


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Jeffrey woke with a start. What was that? Though his heart was pounding, he lay still, listening. In the silence, all he could hear were the usual nighttime noises that he had become used to out here in the forest. The whispering hiss of the nighthawks out on patrol was accompanied by the deep low bullfrog calls. But was there something else?

Had he actually heard something that had woken him or had it been another one of his never-ending dreams of being pursued by that man the mob had sent after him? For several minutes, Jeffrey maintained his position, giving himself a chance to get his breathing under control and to give the illusion that he wasn't there. If there was someone outside of the trailer, he did not want to let them know that there was anyone inside.

He had played this game too many times, but he was good at it. Hiding, acting dead. Jeffrey had done it so often, there were times that he felt he really could be dead. That would make some people very happy, he knew that with every fiber of his being. But it was that fact that kept him going sometimes. He would not let them win. There was no way he would just curl up and die because this life was getting too hard, too depressing, too lonely to go on.

No, there was too much for him to live for. Jeffrey had promised Trina that he would return. That one promise would have been enough to keep him fighting with everything he had not to let her down. But there was another reason to stand and fight.

Ever the reporter at heart, Jeffrey had been collecting the information he needed to make a case against Warren Holmes. It was now almost complete - in the form of the biggest publishing expose of all time. That thought earned a small grin, he had been alone too long, he was starting to hear an announcer's voice in his head now when these thoughts appeared.

Whippoorwills now joined in the chorus of the evening. Jeffrey began to relax, it had to have been a half hour or more that he had been laying here, and there was nothing out of the ordinary to hear. He closed his eyes maybe he could get back to sleep.

And there it was, the howling. It wasn't very loud, and the sound was farther away than what he had imagined he heard before. Jeffrey shook his head. They were clever, but not clever enough. The silver wolves up here could be heard in the early darkness of the evening, but they hunted during the night and were silent and deadly predators.

These fake howls must have been the signal that some hunters had come up with to keep track of each other. For another hour, Jeffrey listened closely. Whoever it had been had moved on, the sporadic howls faded into the distance. He was alone once again.

Alone. In every sense of the word. He thought of Trina again. How was she doing he wondered. Jeffrey could only imagine what she was going through right now. The postcard had been their only form of communication. Was she scared, worried that the last one didn't come? Did she take the hint and start things in motion? His sister was smart. He couldn't wait to talk to her again.

He was ready. She would find him. He was sure of it.

His eyes were closed, but there was no sleep to be had tonight.

. .

It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the soft light that filtered through the stained glass windows before Edna pulled Lula down the hall to the chapel. As they stepped into the quiet room with soaring ceilings and rows of Gothic arched windows, the magnitude of what they had done in the past twenty-four hours seemed to hit them at the same time.

Long rows of polished wooden benches lined the room and Edna quickly sat down, her legs feeling a bit wobbly all of a sudden. Lula followed her lead and plopped down on the bench next to her. "Did we really just run away from the police?" Edna asked. Though she spoke in barely more than a whisper, the sound echoed in her ears.

"Oh, yeah," Lula said, her voice reflecting the pride, and fear, of her actions. "We gave Morelli the slip but good."

She erupted into a fit of giggles. Edna slapped her arm, but it only made Lula laugh harder. "Stop it," Edna said, a little louder than she had meant to. "We're in a heap of trouble, you know."

"It wasn't our fault," Lula said between laughs. "It was those hotties we found that started it all."

"Yeah, okay," Edna responded. "But the cop knows something or he wouldn't have been at Stephanie's place."

Lula's laughs subsided long enough for her to shrug and she had the grace to look properly ashamed. Yes, they were in a lot of trouble. Probably they should have stayed to see what happened after the fire alarms went off. But when a handsome guy pulls you to safety, it's easy to forget small details like that.

"Edna honey," Lula said suddenly.

Edna looked up at her friend, curious.

"We got no shoes!" Lula found this overly amusing and she snorted out another laugh. She lifted both feet and pointed. Edna did the same, staring at their feet. The bright pink polish on her toes looked so out of place here. The absurdity of their predicament suddenly hit her and Edna tried to stifle the snicker that rose up in her chest.

"Shhh," she tried to whisper between chuckles. "We are in a church!"

"Okay," Lula said. "Okay." she wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. "So," she said after they had both settled down. "What do we do now?"

After a moment to ponder the situation, Edna turned to Lula. "What do you remember?"

Lula gave this question some thought before she responded. "Well," she said. "We were looking pretty dang good for our hottie hunting." She nudged Edna with her elbow. "We were smokin."

"That's it," Edna breathed out the words. With wide eyes she looked at Lula. The events of the previous evening now emerged from her memory with stark clarity. The ladies stared at each other not saying a word, but nonetheless, they were reliving the moment when Luca and his father Sal had stepped into the deli just after midnight last night.

How could she have forgotten about Sal? Edna closed her eyes. The man had been smooth. Too smooth she admitted now, but she had enjoyed the attention at the time. All smiles and compliments, he had taken the seat next to hers waving around that big smelly cigar.

"Oh, escusa mi," he said noticing the wrinkle in her nose. Sal looked around the counter for an ashtray, but finding none, he decided to drop it into the paper cup of water sitting there.

Only it wasn't water. It was the cheap wine that she and Lula had picked up before ending up at the deli. Even so, it was pretty good and to save her drink, Edna shot her hand out to stop Sal. Bumping the cigar from his hand they both watched it fall behind the counter. They looked at each other and Sal shrugged. Oh well.

For the next half hour Sal was attentive and funny and Edna had been having the time of her life. Lula was also enjoying the charms of the handsome Luca with his forced accent. She was eating it up, loving every minute of it. The night was young he was saying, they should find a place with music and dancing he said. The ladies agreed and with the assistance of their new gentlemen friends they slid out of the seats. Arm in arm they all headed for the door. That is when all hell broke loose.

Edna turned around when the shouting started. She was stunned, but Sal quickly pulled her along with him. Still, she had seen enough. It was the smoke Edna remembered now. The smell of the horrible cigar had never gone away after Sal dropped it. They probably should have noticed that. But it wasn't until the puffs of smoke rose over the counter that she realized that it must have been smoldering in a pile of rags, or something like that, the whole time.

Don, the deli man had rushed over flapping a towel over the flames that were rising up higher and higher, but instead of smothering them, he was fanning them and making them bigger. "Grab the food trays," another guy behind the counter yelled. Don dropped the towel. Edna was amazed to see that he could lift out a whole section of the counter carrying the food trays with him. "Out to the truck."

It didn't take long for the alarm of the smoke detector to start screeching, piercing their ears. The gentlemen quickly escorted the ladies out of the deli just before the sprinkler systems kicked in, dousing the flames, and everything else. They didn't notice. Plans for the rest of the night had been made and the couples were on their way long before the chain reaction throughout the strip mall had started.

Up in the corner of the ceiling, the security camera was tucked in, nice and safe behind the shiny gray dome. The recordings, of the events of the evening, would be saved on a server and though the pictures would be in grainy black and white, the quality would be good enough to make several identifications.

First and most important would be the discovery that Salvatori Spinelli had been spotted. Out in public for the first time in over a year, he must have thought that his crimes had been forgotten. He would be wrong, he was still most definitely a wanted man. After that, the ID of Edna Mazur was something they immediately jumped on as it would give the cops a place to start looking for the mob king she had been seen with.

Being wined and dined and dancing the night away, it was easy for Edan and Lula to forget the unfortunate events at the deli. Only in the light of day did the episode come back into their minds. With enough of the details being remembered, it was clear to both of the ladies that they may have been involved in what was essentially a hit and run incident.

Edna bowed her head. What were they going to do? She said a little prayer, figuring that it couldn't hurt. And even though she knew she shouldn't, she let her mind wander. Memories of what it felt like to be held in the arms of a handsome man who loved her company made her blush. it had been too long since she had felt that way. Now she was wondering if she would ever see him again.

Oh yes, they were in a heap of trouble.

. .

"Well," Eric thought, they were being even more predictable than he would have given them credit for. Though both families had been gathering their forces, they all decided to wait until after dark to make their move on the storage houses.

The inventory had already been documented and packed up ready for removal. Though Eric had not personally stepped foot inside of either of the buildings, he had seen the reports complete with photos of the scene that had been processed. The team he had come to join was efficient and thorough. He was impressed.

Of course, Eric had to admit that the mob had some organization skills of their own. The warehouses had been surprisingly well organized and that simplified things for the team. According to the photos, on one wall, stacks of plastic cartons with airtight lids contained huge amounts of cocaine and heroin. Safes along the opposite wall stored millions of dollars. It was no wonder that they didn't want to give it up.

From his position across the street, Eric had a full view of not only the buildings, but a good amount of the streets leading to them too. The agency's moving vans, that had been brought in to transport the evidence, were parked outside the garage entrance of the closest building. Eric had been watching the area all afternoon.

He was only slightly surprised that no one had moved in yet. One the one hand, the families had been distracted enough with the arrests that they were in a bit of disarray. But on the other hand, they would all be put at risk if they lost this inventory and didn't get the shipment out in time. Predicting people was an iffy thing at best, but Eric had the experience to narrow down the possible outcomes. And a raid under the cloak of night was at the top of his list.

Sure enough, just after midnight, they made their move. Eric, equipped with night vision goggles, watched as three small vans approached the warehouses. The headlights were off, and Eric was pretty sure that the drivers also had the advantage of the goggles to help them navigate so precisely.

Everyone waited. Eric was there to direct the operation, to protect the team. It would be on his word that they moved in from their positions all around the buildings. Criminal charges would stick if they could catch them in the act so the team patiently waited for the signal from Eric.

Several heavily armed men stood guard on either side of the garage door as others emerged from the vans rolling dollies with them pausing outside of the metal bay doors. His finger hovered over the trigger of his rifle, but Eric remained motionless as he watched through the scope of his gun. He whispered into the comms, a play by play of the action.

"The door is opening," Eric said, his eyes straining to make out the figures of the men inside. "Four men outside have weapons drawn and ready."

While he could that there were four more people that had entered the building, Eric did not know how many more might still be in the vans. The success of this mission and the safety of his team depended on his making the best decisions. He had to be patient.

Sure enough, when the men with their dollies all loaded up came out of the building, the doors of the van opened and several more people joined in to help load the heavy cartons. Still biding his time, Eric watched and reported on the additional trips into the building.

"Looks like they are almost done," he whispered. "Everyone at the ready." He adjusted the scope. Took a breath. "Go!"

Within seconds, the team was in motion. Surrounding the vans, their own weapons drawn, they were practically on top of the thieves before anyone knew what was happening. "US Marshalls," came the shout. "Weapons down, hands in the air."

Eric saw them move. Those armed guards did what they had been there to do. But they were confused by the number of agents around them. There was only one thing they could do in this situation and they were prepared to shoot their way out if they had to. Eric knew by the jerk of their weapons that the decision had been made, bullets would be flying.

"Watch your six!" he said as his finger finally pulled the trigger. Once, Twice, Three times. In rapid succession. Three of the four big men collapsed down in heaps on the ground. Eric had the last guy in his sights, but too many people were in the way now, he could not get off the shot.

So he was the only one of the guards who got off any shots. Obviously inexperienced, he sprayed bullets in an arc just above everyone's heads. In the mayhem, while people were diving to the ground, Eric's team rushed at him, tackling the big man who came crashing down so hard Eric could swear he felt it all the way over here.

It was over. Eric sat back, taking a moment. Time to analyze his actions. In his mind's eye, he played it all back in slow motion. Most of the members of the families who had shown up were just there to do the grunt work. And they relied on the guards for protection. It had been easy for Eric to direct his attention to the men who were the most threatening.

Guard number four had hesitated, just a fraction of a second longer than the others when the Marshalls had shown up. Eric's split decision to take him last had been based on the assumption that he would have been the last to start shooting too. So, he took out the others so that they would not have the chance to fire their weapons.

Though it was regrettable that any shots had been fired at all, Eric was satisfied with his decision. None of the team was hurt. That was a win in his book. He packed up and headed down to join the others.

Assignment complete. He would be on his way home tomorrow.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Morelli was back at the precinct. After hours of driving all around the city, he had come up empty. Edna Mazur had vanished. He sat at his desk, fuming. He was angry at Mrs. Plum for wasting his time. Mad at Stephanie, for no reason other than the fact that Ranger had been at her apartment. Pissed off royally at himself for letting Mrs. Mazur out of his sight when she had been right there for him to question.

He glanced over at the untouched cup of coffee sitting on the corner of his desk. He had been so upset he had forgotten about it, though that was probably for the best since he knew it was bad when it was hot, and it would be darn near impossible to drink now that it was cold.

Pushing other thoughts aside, the detective turned back to his biggest problem. From the moment the security tapes from the deli had been brought over this morning, he had played them over and over again trying to see something that would help. When he saw Stephanie's grandmother, Morelli had considered it a big break. He knew who she was and pretty much where to find her. Too bad that lead had gone nowhere.

Now he was back to watching the tapes hoping to get another clue to find the men in question. The quality of the images was not great but was still good enough to identify two members of the mob that he had been hunting down for months now.

Morelli sneered at the screen. Luca Spinelli was a slippery slimeball. Taking over the family business from his father had put him at the top of the list of suspects in a long list of crimes around the city. And, as for his father Sal... Morelli shook his head in a 'don't get me started on Sal Spinelli' attitude.

More than a year ago the old man had decided to evade police by keeping to his private properties around the state. Morelli had been on too many raids only to find that Spinelli had fled again, it seemed that he was always a step ahead of the cops. Maybe that was what was bothering Joe the most. The arrogance of being seen out in public could only be taken as a personal snub to Joe, to the cops who had been trying to find him.

Staring at the screen was making his head ache. "Uh, Joe," said a voice behind him. Morelli spun around.

"What's up Spence?" he asked, sternly eyeing the rookie who stood there. The young man unconsciously took a step back. Joe kept himself from laughing out loud, he enjoyed the fact that he always looked so intimidating. I've still got it, he thought.

"Captain wants to talk to you." Spencer delivered the message and completely backed out of the office as quick as he could. Joe stood slowly and followed him out of the door. This could not be good.

.o0o.o0o.

Ranger tried not to be annoyed when the messages started showing up on his phone. Stephanie saw the look in his eyes. "You have to go?" she said, trying not to sound whiny and needy. The hour that they had been blissfully alone together had been the best of her life.

She thought about that some more and couldn't help the grin that grew on her lips. They had not done anything but talk the whole time. And yes, it had been the best time of her entire life. Ranger glanced over at her, a question in his eyes now replaced the irritation she had seen only moments ago.

"Babe?" he asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I guess I was just lucky to have you to myself for so long," she whispered. "But I hate to let you go." He could feel as much as hear her sigh. Now it was his turn to smile. Yes, he needed to get back to RangeMan, but he had no intention of leaving without her.

"Don't let me go," he said cryptically. Stephanie pulled back to look into his eyes. "Why don't you come with me," he asked simply. Well, okay. She nodded slowly, thinking it over. Only there was nothing to think about, of course, she would jump at the chance to spend more time with him. It did not matter where they were.

Stephanie stood up and grabbed his hand. "Let's go!" she said.

Several of his men were waiting for them when they stepped off of the elevator. One by one they delivered the information they had for Ranger and headed back to their posts. Stephanie had always been impressed, if a little intimidated, by the efficiency and curt nature of the way Ranger's men worked. But that was not what had her jaw on the floor now.

She tried to swallow, but all of a sudden her throat was too dry. The Mayor was here? Drunk? Spilling out what information? This was almost too much to take in... until her brain started putting the pieces together. Now she was shocked.

"I'm going down to talk to Holmes," Ranger said. "Do you want to come?" All she could do was nod. Ranger took her hand and led her back into the elevator. "This should be interesting."

They could hear the ranting the second the doors opened and they headed down the hall. The mayor, it seemed was not happy with his accommodations. Stephanie was still unsure why he was here. That part of the story had not been shared yet, but she was sure there was a good reason for Ranger to be holding the guy prisoner like this. Listening to the drunk ravings, she could easily imagine that a good portion of it was for his own protection.

They approached the room and Stephanie peeked through the narrow glass window in the door. Holmes was circling the room like a caged animal. His hands were flapping to emphasize each of the words he was screaming. That looked familiar, she thought, hiding a smirk.

Ranger stood behind her, watching the action with her. "You are going to regret this!" Holmes shouted. "I missed an important meeting today," he said, his hand raised into a fist. "With important people that will be looking for me," he added. "You don't want Gallo on your bad side, believe me, and that is exactly what is going to happen if you don't let me go!"

Stephanie turned to Ranger, he looked amused. "What's he doing here?" she asked in a low whisper.

Ranger tilted his head, indicating the mayor. "He was found in this condition by my men. He was attacking an associate of ours." Stephanie raised an eyebrow at the way Ranger said the word associate. It seemed like he was forcing the polite term on whoever it was. "We thought it best if we kept him from hurting anyone else, or himself," he was saying. She nodded, agreeing with what he said, still she knew that there was so much more to this situation.

Ranger stepped back and led Stephanie farther down the hall. This time he did not stop at the window, but pushed open the door and walked in. "Arnie," Ranger said as he pulled up a chair for Stephanie to sit in. "This is my friend Stephanie," Ranger told the man who lounged on the narrow cot on the other side of the room.

Arnie sat, waved at Stephanie and turned his full attention to Ranger. "I got info," he said without waiting for a response. "Holmes is in deep with the Gallos', and the Spinellis' are back." He rushed through the words, hoping that something he had to say would impress the man in black.

Stephanie recognized the names, Connie knew all the 'families' in the state, and Vinny was scared of most of them. Oh, yeah, she had definitely heard of these people before. But to connect any of them to the mayor was a serious accusation. She glanced up at Ranger. He did not look surprised with this information.

"Good talking to you Arnie," Ranger said, holding a hand out to Stephanie. "You comfortable enough here?" he asked.

Arnie relaxed his shoulders, Stephanie could tell he was relieved. Curious, the man seemed happy to be stuck in a cell. With unasked questions in her eyes, she took Ranger's hand and left the room. As soon as the door was shut and locked, Ranger led her back down the hall. He did not say anything as they passed the mayor, who was still raging inside his small room.

As soon as they were on the elevator, Ranger spoke. "Arnie is an informant, of sorts," he said. "We had reason to believe that your Mr. Phillips had worked with him before, so we wanted to talk to him." Stephanie listened without asking about any of the million things that were spiraling around in her head. Ranger continued. "Holmes attacked Arnie, my men were there, we decided to bring them both in."

It took a few minutes for her to process all of this. Stephanie remained silent as they exited the elevator on the seventh floor and entered Ranger's apartment. It was the smell of food that pulled her out of her thoughtful stupor. Roasted garlic tickled at her nose.

As Ranger escorted her into the kitchen, Stephanie saw that dinner was already laid out on the table. Steam was still rising from the tempting looking chicken and vegetables. Ella. Stephanie looked around but she was nowhere to be seen, but the food must have been delivered only moments ago to still be hot. Amazing. Someday, Stephanie thought, I want to grow up to be just like Ella.

Of course, the food was fantastic and, over dinner, they discussed the plans for meeting with Trina Murphy in the morning. Pulling her over to the couch after they were done eating, Ranger circled his arms around Stephanie as they sat on the couch. Though a lot was at stake, Stephanie found it easy to let go and relax and forget all about the world outside of Ranger's embrace.

She would remember this night for as long as she lived.

.o0o.o0o.

The view from their apartment spread out before him. The cityscape of sparkling lights was not enough to attract his attention. Ryan paced back and forth in front of the window, his mind played the events of the evening over and over again.

Where had that come from? Trina knew that her brother was gone. Had been gone for over a decade now. That a postcard had made her believe that he was alive, after all this time, was too bizarre to take seriously. Wasn't it?

His eyes caught the glowing light from the digital clock on the stereo. Surprised that it could be three o'clock in the morning, Ryan stopped his pacing. In just five hours his wife was going to have to face the fact that her brother is never coming back.

How had he not known how much she was hurting? What had happened to give her hope that she would see Jeffrey again? Trina had tried to explain some of this to him last night. But all he had heard was that they were going to meet with some woman in the morning. A detective? He couldn't remember, but Trina was sure that this person was going to find Jeffrey.

Ryan loved his wife too much to want to see her hurt. Nothing he had said after she told him all of this, however, could dissuade Trina from going through with the meeting. How had this happened? The more and more he thought about it, Ryan knew that he was missing a huge piece of the puzzle.

Suddenly, he felt Trina slide her arms around his waist from behind. It startled him, he had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts he hadn't even heard her come into the room. "I'm sorry," Trina said quietly. "I wanted to tell you, so many times I wanted to say it." Her arms tightened. Ryan could feel her shaking. "I was scared," she whispered.

"Shhh," he said, turning around to hold her in his arms. "It's going to be okay." Somehow he was going to help her get through this, though at that moment he had no idea how. All he wanted to do now was to hold her, let her know she was safe. They would deal with the rest in the morning.

.o0o.o0o.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Bright and early, before the sun had made its appearance, Stephanie woke suddenly. She sat up in the bed, realizing that she was alone. From the other room, she could hear Ranger talking in a voice so low that she could not make out what he was saying. Business, she thought and a pang of guilt stabbed through her.

The mystery box had consumed every moment of her time since its arrival, and Ranger had been with her nearly the whole time. Now she felt terrible, she had taken him away from his work. He had a business to run, it wasn't fair of her to dump her own problems on him all the time.

"Phillips." Stephanie heard that word loud and clear. She quickly scooted to the edge of the bed. Though she tip-toed over to the door so she wouldn't disturb him, Ranger heard her and turned when she neared the door to the den. Still talking on the phone, he reached out one arm to her, inviting her to come in.

With tentative steps, Stephanie moved toward Ranger. There were no other chairs in the room, but still, he held out his arm. Suddenly she realized that he wanted her to come sit with him. All kinds of tingles electrified her, from her toes to the top of her head. And a warmth, that filled her completely, told her that she was home as she sat on his lap.

His strong arm wrapped around her, holding her close, safe. Stephanie nestled her head in his neck, circling his broad chest with her arms. She snuggled in close and closed her eyes. His voice vibrated against her as he kept talking on the phone, lulling her back into a sleepy comfort.

"0800." she heard him say. And suddenly everything they had discovered yesterday came flooding back into her brain. What time was it? She lifted her head to search out a clock. Ranger kissed her forehead and short-circuited her thoughts for a moment. She could be quite content staying right here, just like this for the rest of her life.

But, no. Though she had no idea how, she was going to find Mr. Phillips. His sister had gone to so much trouble to ask for her help and Stephanie knew that she could not let her down. Pulling back, even more, she looked up into Ranger's eyes.

As always, Ranger seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. He pointed to a duffel bag on the floor by the door. Her bag. And she remembered that he told her last night that the guys had brought over Rex and a few things from her apartment for her.

Stephanie kissed his cheek and moved to stand. His arm kept her in place for one more toe-curling kiss. Moving into the bathroom, her legs felt like jelly. Even after she was showered and dressed Stephanie could still feel the effects of his mouth on hers.

He smiled his megawatt smile when she found him in the kitchen. Again with that mind reading thing, she realized. He knew exactly how he made her feel! Stephanie couldn't help but return the smile. It worked both ways.

.o0o.o0o.

Already the day was heating up despite the slight breeze that whispered past and gently lifted the banners outside the door of their building. Trina moved quickly, not really noticing anything other than the heavy dread that had settled in her stomach.

Ryan, acutely aware of this somber mood, wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked toward their car. A show of support, to let her know he was with her in this now. Trina glanced up at her husband and gave him a small smile.

He was so wonderful. No matter how long she had kept such a huge secret from him, he was here, determined to help her through this meeting. Yet, something just did not feel right. She was too close to back out now. She had felt like this before. Not often, but enough to scare her and make her paranoid.

That feeling that someone was always watching them was back again. At first, she was worried that somehow they knew. About the package, about this meeting today, about Phillip. Trina drew in a shaky breath and leaned into Ryan just a little bit more. She could really use the strength he seemed to be sharing with her.

Just be careful, she repeated the words over and over in her head. She had been. Every day for a dozen years. So very careful. Nothing was going to change today. Though this was the biggest risk she had taken in all this time, Trina believed it was the right thing to do.

Opening the door for her, Ryan helped her get settled before he rounded the car and slipped into the driver's seat. With a kiss on her cheek for good luck, they were on their way. He had asked his questions, Trina had answered most of them, but now the two were making this trip in silence. The only voice speaking now was from the GPS program on Trina's phone.

Like his wife, Ryan now felt the weight of this situation descending on him. All he could do now was hope that whoever they were meeting with could actually help Trina. He looked over at her, pride filled his chest. She was so brave and loyal and creative. Everything was going to work out. It had to.

.o0o.o0o.

Ranger wasn't taking any chances. After all of the research they had done, and from the details that Eric had supplied, he made his decision. First thing this morning, he set his plan in motion. Jeffrey Phillips needed to be found. Stephanie would not give up until he was. And ranger was determined to help her in any way he could.

"Butler street is in the Burg," Stephanie was saying. Ranger hid a smile as she shook her head. "This has to be the only bakery I've never been to before. How is that possible?" Not saying anything, he led her to the car and opened the door for her.

Stephanie was so wrapped up in the details of his plan, she barely noticed that they were taking one of the trucks from the fleet. She did not second-guess the reason that Ranger wasn't driving one of his own cars. Her mind was on this meeting with Mr. Phillip's sister. It all still felt so crazy.

Mysterious boxes, cryptic messages, clandestine meetings. Was this really happening? Stephanie was so grateful that Ranger was here with her. His ideas about what could happen today had scared her more than a little bit. No wonder they had to be so careful.

Before she knew it, they were turning the corner and pulling up in front of the Italian People's Bakery. Familiar scents of fried dough and sugar welcomed them as they left the truck and headed into the building. As per the instructions that Trina Murphy had left them, Ranger left Stephanie to stand in line to buy some of the delicious smelling doughnuts. He moved into place, in the corner of the room, his back to the wall, his eyes scanning the area.

The line was moving more quickly than she had expected and Stephanie started to get nervous. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out the paper with the notes she had made last night. "May I help you?" The smiling man behind the counter said.

Stephanie tried to return the smile. "Uh," she hesitated, this was it. "I have a special order," she said. "And can you deliver it to this address." She handed a small paper to the man who seemed to become more serious as he nodded.

"If you could come over here," he said. "I have an order form that you can fill out for me."

From his position, Ranger was watching as the man moved to the opposite end of the counter and motioned Stephanie to follow him. He was in motion before Stephanie could move around the other people at the counter, and he met up with her just as the man opened a door. The man hesitated, looking warily at Ranger. Stephanie took Ranger's hand, nodded at the guy and walked purposefully through the door. With a slight nod, the man led them toward the back of the bakery.

Stephanie let out a small sigh of relief. It was all going according to plan. The details that Mary Lou had helped her discover had given the specific instructions to make the special order with the only man behind the counter. He would open the door for her and she was to go down the hall to the back of the building. And here they were.

Completely aware that Trina was taking these precautions because she was worried about being followed, Stephanie had tried not to let that same worry get to her, but her spidey sense was telling her otherwise. She turned to Ranger just before they opened the designated door. She didn't have to say the words, he nodded in agreement.

"Two teams are out there," he reminded her. Part of his plan included lots of manpower. Again, that mix of gratitude and guilt bit at her conscience. She reached out and grabbed his hand again, holding on for a moment.

"Okay," she said and pushed open the door.

.o0o.o0o.

From behind the heavily tinted windows, Luca Spinelli folded his arms over his chest and scowled at the ugly square building. Old yellow paint was cracked and peeling, weathered to the point of needing a complete overhaul. Luca shook his head. Cheap, boring, disgusting.

He did not want to be here. Chasing around, watching this unimpressive and unimportant person was not his idea. How many times had he been out to Philadelphia and back now, he had lost count. At least he didn't have to follow her all the way to the shore this time. He now yearned for the days of the oh so recent past. Luca had a new appreciation for the days that his father kept the family hidden away behind closed and guarded doors. It had offered a unique kind of freedom, but you did not say 'no' to Gallo.

So, here he was, lurking behind a damn bakery. Luca blinked his eyes, bleary with the sting of very little sleep over the past few days. The doors remained closed, had been closed since the moment the lady he was tracking had entered with her friend. Thank God his instructions were to watch from a distance. He knew he was too recognizable to be seen anywhere in Trenton.

With nothing else to do, Luca amused himself by recalling his exploits of the night before last. He had drunk way too much, but that was part of the fun. In fact, since it was the first time they had been out like that in so long, he and his dad didn't have any other set plans. Getting drunk sounded like a pretty damn good idea all by itself. That is until they spotted the ladies who were leaving the liquor store.

Luca had been instantly attracted to the voluptuous curves and the intense energy of the young lady in that tight neon dress. It was meant to be, that was all it could have been. Two gentlemen with two ladies, fate had smiled down on all of them that night.

His mind was busy remembering the laughter, the teasing, the drinking. Well, he remembered most of it, but his memory was still fuzzy about a few things. Luca laughed out loud, surprised to hear his own voice in the quiet of the car. Good times. He wondered if he would ever see her again.

With this pleasant distraction, Luca almost missed the two couples that had slipped out of the back door and were headed to the truck parked close by. He recovered just in time to start the engine of his car and follow the truck, at a respectable distance, of course. Finally, he thought, something new was happening. He never saw the black trucks that were following him.

.o0o.o0o.

The first rays of the sun streamed in through high windows lighting up the stained glass and shooting shafts of bright colors over the pews below. Edna was the first to wake up startled by what she saw. Slowly she tried to sit up, she was stiff from sleeping on the hardwood bench, even with the thin padding it offered.

Lula was still asleep beside her, her face a mosaic of brilliant colors. Edna shook her friend. They did not mean to fall asleep, not here, not all night. This was a church, after all, and she was pretty sure that even the Episcopals didn't allow people to sleep in here. "Wake up!" Edna whispered urgently.

"Wha.. Huh?" Lula tried to open her eyes, blinking away the bright colorful light shining in them. She covered her head, "Where are we?" she started to say. The realization of what must have happened hit her and she clapped her hand over her mouth to hide the gasp. "We in the church still?"

Edna nodded and pointed to the door. She began crawling along the bench, keeping low, just in case someone looked in here. What do they do to trespassers in a church, she wondered. That was something she really didn't want to find out, so she stealthily made her way to the end of the row. Lula, a little less graceful, followed along - bumping into Edna when she got to the end. Suppressing a giggle that threatened to burst out, Lula once again covered her mouth with both hands. Edna turned around and poked her in the forehead. "Shhhh!"

The ladies moved in tandem, still hunched over, and tiptoed to the doors. Edna slowly pushed, hoping that the hinges would not squeak. With the door opened just wide enough, the ladies slipped through, closing it gently behind them. Now they just had to make it to the back door. Having bare feet kept their escape quiet as they ran down the hallway.

Lula tentatively tried the handle, relieved when she saw that it was not locked. She grabbed Edna's hand and they sprinted around the side of the building, heading toward Lula's car. Keys in hand, Lula hit the remote to unlock the doors. Just as they reached the car, a tall, huge man stepped out from the passenger van next to her car.

"Good morning ladies," he said. There was a trace of a laugh in his voice, though his face didn't show any sign of a smile. "Would you like to come with me, please?" his deep voice made it clear that this was not a request. Both ladies were frozen in place. Shock, fear written all over their faces.

Uh oh, he had scared them, not his intention. This time, when he spoke, his voice had gentled, just a fraction. He turned to Edna. "Your granddaughter feels it would be safer for you if you accompanied me to RangeMan. She will meet you there."

Edna straightened. Stephanie had lots of friends who dressed like this, and somehow she knew that she could trust him. Walking around the car, she stuck out her hand, "And you are?" she asked, shaking his hand.

"Trent, ma am," he said, giving her hand a quick firm jerk. "Now, if you don't mind, we need to get going."

Lula still held back. Sure, he looked the part, but she was not ready to trust anyone just yet. Too much crazy stuff had happened. Edna walked over slipping her arm through her friend's. "It's okay," she said. "No cops are going to find us at Ranger's place," she said with a wink. She pulled on Lula's arm until she started walking with her.

"I hope you know what yore do'in," Lula said. But she had seen the truck now, the kind that all of Ranger's men drove. That was a good sign. And, even better, she finally noticed that the black shirt Trent was wearing had the RangeMan logo embroidered on the front. Black on black. Breathing easier, she climbed up into the truck. "My car..." she started to say.

"Not to worry ma am," Trent said easily. "Someone will be along right away to bring it to our garage."

Okie dokie. Lula shook her head and looked over at Edna. She really hoped they knew what they were doing.

.o0o.o0o.

Trina jumped up when Stephanie walked through the door. Ryan stood behind her, ready. For what, he did not know, but he was all in now and he wouldn't allow anyone to hurt his wife.

"Stephanie," Trina said, stepping forward and offering her hand. "Right?" she added, hesitant even though she did recognize her from the pictures she had seen.

"Yeah," Stephanie answered. "Trina?" Stephanie took her hand, for a brief shake. Then she turned her attention to the man standing just behind Mr. Phillip's sister. Trina saw the look and quickly introduced Ryan.

Stephanie smiled at the man who looked so protective. She knew that look. When she glanced over at Ranger, the smile grew. After the introductions, everyone sat down in the circle of chairs that had obviously been brought in for this little meeting.

The office was cramped and, as Stephanie looked around, she had to appreciate the irony of this meeting place. How did Trina know about her love for doughnuts? Was that craving so obvious? Who would have told her something like that? She was going to have to give that some thought... later.

.o0o.o0o.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

All Arnie wanted to do was take advantage of his present circumstances to catch up on his napping. Being an informant (or a snitch as some would call him) actually takes a lot out of you. Sneaking around, secretly listening to private conversations, hiding your meetings with the person you report to, it was all pretty tough work.

Was it really too much to ask for some peace and quiet to get in a few ZZZZ's? Arnie covered his head with the thin pillow from the cot. His hands covered his ears, but nothing helped, he could still hear the ranting from his neighboring cellmate. Mayor Holmes was getting on his last nerve.

He wanted to shout at the man, tell him to shut up. Several times he had filled his lungs so that he could scream over the noise that Holmes was making, but Arnie always stopped himself at the last second. As far as he knew, the mayor did not know that Arnie was there. The snitch inside of him kept him from revealing his presence. On the off chance that he would hear something useful, Arnie remained silent.

Still, he wished that he was alone. He really could use some rest. Eyes shut tight, ears covered, Arnie was curled into a ball desperately trying to sleep when he heard something he had not expected. He sat up, what was that, did he really say that? He did not move a muscle, barely breathing, hoping to hear it again. When he did, Arnie knew he could be in deep trouble.

"Gallo will know about this!" Holmes yelled. "This is the worst mistake you will ever make!"

The threats continued. Arnie felt a chill pass through him. He was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, nervous sweat. This was bad, very bad. Holmes needed to shut up. No one, but no one ever used his name. The head of the mob families insisted, in very specific ways, that his name should never be used. Ever. His privacy, his anonymity was his shield.

The man was in the position he was because he knew the importance of secrecy. The cops could not tie him to any crimes since no one would ever spill their guts and talk about Gallo's involvement in anything. They knew better. Gallo would find out, and they would be taking up permanent residence at the bottom of the Delaware River.

That Holmes was now sharing, at the top of his lungs, everything that he knew about Gallo and his operations. Oh, this was not good. Arnie might not like the mayor particularly, the man was a pompous, self-important, egotistical ass. But if anyone found out that he had been here, and Arnie had no doubt that they would, he was as good as fish bait himself. Guilt by proximity was every bit as damning as guilt by association. _Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!_ Arnie yelled inside of his head. Why wouldn't he just shut the frick up?

.o0o.o0o.

Edna sat in the break room, a mug of the best coffee she had ever had cupped in her hands. Even the steam rising from the brew smelled divine. She closed her eyes, taking it all in. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine herself being here, surrounded by the men in black.

Even if she had pictured what it would be like here, she would've had it all wrong. A smile bloomed on her lips. She had been wandering around the fifth floor, keeping out of the way, but observing every detail. It was quiet here. Quieter than the mortuaries she frequented.

In her imagination, these big muscly men growled out their words to one another. In reality, they used very few words, and most of those were quick and efficient. Everyone knew their job, and they did it with precision. That smile on her lips grew, and they looked damned good doing it!

Suddenly, the hush over the room exploded with laughter. Edna swung around to see a group of the guys coming to grab some snacks. The same guys she had been watching, all professional and serious out on the floor, were now acting like a bunch of teenagers. Some teasing, some debate over sports and some joking. Edna was actually glad to see that they could let loose. Boys will be boys, after all, and she was happy that they were having fun.

It was at that moment that Lula found her way back to the break room. She plopped herself down in the chair next to Edna. "The man has done disappeared again," she said. She had been doing some exploring of her own, searching the building for that hunk of a man who had been at Stephanie's yesterday.

"Shame. I was lookin forward to having me a good long look at him now that I'm not scared of the cops comin for you." Lula leaned forward resting her crossed arms on the table, her chin on her arms. Edna patted her hand. Her friend looked tired and defeated. She felt sorry for her.

"I'm ready to check out that room downstairs," Edna said, standing and pulling at Lula's hand. "Let's go see if we can get some rest before Stephanie comes back."

Reluctantly, Lula stood and, taking a last look around, she followed Edna out of the room. Ella had already shown them the small apartments on the next floor down, so they made their way to the elevator. As it opened for them, the ladies stood back to let two men walk out. They caught bits of their conversation as they passed by.

"...out to the shore," one of the guys was saying. "Tank will meet them ..." With deep voices speaking in low tones, some of the words were hard to hear, though both Lula and Edna leaned their way to try anyway.

Nodding in agreement, the men headed down the hall. "Both teams are behind the sedan. Spinelli …" again the words faded away. But they had already heard enough. Edna grabbed her friend and pulled her into the elevator. She waited to say anything until the doors closed.

"Did you hear what they said?" she said. Eyes wide, she stared at Lula. It couldn't be. Lula shrugged.

"Only got parts of it," she admitted. "But I'll be danged if they didn't say Spinelli."

The doors opened and they hurried across the hall to their temporary hiding place. Safely inside, Edna closed the door and leaned against it for a moment. Her heart sank. What if they knew. What if Stephanie knew? She had been secretive about her adventures that night for a reason. Dragging her feet, Edna was now the one that looked defeated as she made her way to the couch and dropped down into the cushions.

Edna had lived in the burg long enough to know all about the mob, and its players. At least she had heard their names. Sal and Luca, she should have known. A day to clear her head from the wine and charms of a handsome man left Edna with only one conclusion.

"Yes," Edna said slowly. "Spinelli."

Lula sat down heavily. "Spinelli," she repeated. In her own experience working with Connie, she had heard all about the families that owned Trenton. "All he said was Luca," she said. Her mind was far away now, revisiting the best night of her life. "He never said what his last name was."

Lula was feeling sick, having come to the same conclusion that Edna had. "Damn it!"

Edna nodded. It was the only explanation. What a big ol' fool she turned out to be. So flattered by the attention of a handsome gentleman, she missed the huge cues that would have given his identity away. If only she had been paying attention. Now she was slowly shaking her head. The name, the accent, the cigar. Oh, gosh, the money. They had been throwing around big bills like it was nothing.

"Nothing too good for you my Edena bella." he had said. And she had eaten up all of the attention. Never giving a second thought to who this smooth silver fox might actually be.

It was Lula who fit the last piece into the puzzle. "It was Spinelli that Morelli wanted," she worked out the details in her mind. "Not you, not us." Shoulders slumped, she tried to ignore the little voice in her head that was telling her what she had to do. No, she couldn't.

Her conscience won out and Lula turned to Edna. While they had never actually talked about it, Lula had let her friend believe that it was because of the fire that they had been wanted by the cops. She wanted to believe it too, but deep down inside, she had known that it was only part of it. Though she did not want to think about it, Lula knew that Luca was well known, probably famous.

After all, hadn't he been expertly avoiding the crowded or well-lit parts of the clubs they went to? Ready to kick herself for it, Lula now admitted that she had made a great shield for him. He hid who he was all night, leaning down to hug her at just the right moments, spinning her out to dance in the most secluded places, heading off to another place before anyone got a good look at him.

"We gotta tell them," Lula finally said. Edna looked over at her. She was right.

"But I will have to talk to Stephanie first," Edna said slowly. "She should hear it from me."

.o0o.o0o.

Stephanie had never been to Asbury Park before. It was a cute little town edging the shore, not more than ten miles north of Point Pleasant. A fact that amazed her as they followed Trina's directions and made their way to Mr. Phillip's house.

Trina kept talking about Jeffrey. It felt odd, thinking about her teacher as just a guy, someone's brother. Stephanie could not help feeling bad that she had not really liked him when she was in high school. The man Trina talked about was funny, and smart and ambitious, and was so much more than a musical prodigy or a teacher.

Ranger pulled the truck into the driveway. Picking up his phone, he checked the new texts and made a quick call. The switch was done. It had worked beautifully. A smile lifted a corner of his mouth, he could always rely on his men. Stephanie touched Ranger's hand and when their eyes met, he saw the questions in hers.

"We were being followed," he said. "From the bakery."

Alarm lit her face, "Who..." she said. Ranger squeezed her hand to reassure her. They were in no danger, not now. Just after they left Trenton, one of his teams had maneuvered their identical F150 truck between Ranger and their unwelcome guest. As Ranger headed east to the shore, Woody and Jose had led the black sedan south toward Philadelphia.

"We'll find out soon," he said, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "He is still trying to keep up with the decoy we put out for him."

Understanding bloomed in her mind. Stephanie now realized what Ranger meant when he told her that he had the two teams with them. Stephanie was amazed and grateful all over again. Where would she be without him? "Thank you," she whispered in his ear as he helped her climb down from the truck.

He kissed her, a brief touch of his lips on hers. His eyes told her everything was going to be okay. Stephanie never knew how Ranger could be so certain about that, so confident. Things never went as smoothly for her all the time. But this was Ranger.

Apprehension melted away. With his plan in place, they could now concentrate on finding the clues they needed to find Mr. Phillips. 'Jeffrey' she thought as they followed Trina into the house. Stephanie held in a chuckle. She didn't think that she would ever be able to call him Jeffrey, no matter how long it had been since high school.

"The den's down the hall," Trina was saying. Stephanie pulled her thoughts back to the task at hand. "I don't know what you want to look at first."

During the drive out here, Trina had been explaining about how she and Jeffrey kept in contact. Stephanie had heard the strain in Trina's voice when she said that the last postcard had not come. It was not much to go on, but Stephanie would be the last person to ever discount gut feelings.

"Can we see the postcards that your brother sent you?" Stephanie asked. Without hesitation, Trina nodded and moved quickly over to the desk. She looked up at Ryan, something passed across her face, embarrassment, a bit of shame? After clearing several things from a small drawer, her hand deftly lifted out a false bottom. Trina removed a stack of postcards and handed them to Stephanie.

"Getting these cards every year was the only way I knew he was alive," Trina said. "I always hoped that it meant that he was okay too."

Despite her worry that Ryan was mad, or upset, or worse, disappointed in her for keeping all of this a secret, Ryan wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Trina turned into his hug and buried her face in his shoulder. Her fears dissolved away. How lucky she was to have him, his love, his support.

Giving them a moment, Stephanie busied herself by laying out the cards on the desk. She examined each of them one by one, turning them over and over in her hands. They were just blank cards with Trina's address and nothing else on the message side. The picture on the front was absurd and ugly. It took a moment before she could place where she had seen it before.

"Tillie," she said under her breath when it came to her. Tillie was famous up here, but there was also a small kiosk down at Point Pleasant that sold hot dogs. She had seen this face down there. The cards were all face down now, and Stephanie just kept looking at them. They were identical, down to the stamps in the top right corner. What was she supposed to be able to find?

The room was silent as Stephanie puzzled over the only clue that they seemed to have. This was impossible, she thought. Trina, who knew her brother better than anyone, had searched these same cards for years and hadn't found anything. Was there anything to find?

Stephanie leaned forward bracing her hands on the desk. Frustration was building, she could feel all of the eyes on her, waiting, hoping, desperate for her to give them some answers. But there was nothing here.

But wait. Stephanie straightened up as she noticed that one of the stamps was starting to peel up from the paper it had been stuck on. It was old, she figured, the sticky backing was just wearing out. Maybe. She picked up the card and slipped her thumbnail under the stamp. It lifted even more and with lots of care and a bit of patience, Stephanie was able to pull it off.

Trina gasped. A word was there. In the same bold writing that spelled out her address on the card. Without saying a thing, she picked up another card and tried removing the stamp from it too. Stephanie joined her. Ranger and Ryan took the cue and started to help as well. Soon all of the stamps were peeled off.

A single row of cards was now laid out with their stamps beside them. Only two of them had words written underneath. Disappointing. But that is what they had to go on, so Stephanie started there. _Rotary. Hammers._ What message was she supposed to get from that?

It took Trina a few minutes to get over the fact that in all this time she had never even thought of looking under the stamps. Such an obvious place, how long had Jeffrey been waiting for her to use her brains and find the messages he had left for her? Her face burned with some self-directed anger. How badly had she let him down?

She stared at the desk, the cards remained out of focus until she calmed herself down. When she could finally think again, the words jumped right out at her. Rotary. Of course, he would tease her with that. Jeffrey always did make fun of how much time she spent on the phone when she was a kid.

Without a word, she turned and rushed out of the den. The others watched her go and then looked at each other in confusion. Stephanie was the first one to follow Trina to the kitchen. She was there pulling apart the old phone that was mounted on the wall. The long cord stretched across the space between the wall and the counter until Trina detached it. Now it hung carelessly, its length tangled in a heap on the floor.

Her hands moved skillfully as she disassembled the receiver. Finally, Trina stood back and sighed. "Nothing is here," she said. "Why would Jef..." Trina stopped talking suddenly and stepped over to the rest of the phone still mounted on the wall. Not so carefully now, she yanked and pushed at it until a large section broke free.

A couple more pieces came apart, Trina handed them off to whoever took them from her hands. She wasn't watching, her eyes were searching the gaping hole that she had uncovered. Sucking in a deep breath, she reached a hand inside and pulled out a small envelope.

She glanced at the faces looking at her with anticipation. Trina opened the top flap and tipped the envelope over. With a metallic clank, a key fell onto the counter. She picked it up. The key looked flat, thinner than most regular keys. "There is something stamped on it," Trina read the images engraved into the round head of the key. "B...H...1...6...3...9."

"Looks like a safety deposit box key," Ranger said. Trina handed it to him and he examined it further, turning it over a few times. "Could be from any bank, there are no identifying markings on it."

Trina could not help feel frustrated and somewhat defeated. There had to be some way to know why Jeffrey had hidden this here. Ryan was by her side again. His hand rested on her shoulder in a sign of support, sympathy. She stepped closer, relaxing into his opening arms.

"Hammer!" Stephanie nearly shouted it out. "The other word was hammer." From the moment they had seen the two words, Stephanie had been trying to figure out their meaning. Fortunately, it was Trina who had interpreted rotary for them. No way Stephanie would have thought of that. But she was pretty certain she knew where to look for the hammer.

The clue was in the way Mr. Phillips had written the word. At first, Stephanie had thought that he tried to fit it into the small space and was forced to curve the word into a 'C' shape. That had puzzled her. Both words were similar in length, but he had not altered the way he wrote rotary. Everything she knew about her teacher came to mind.

He was a music teacher, he played the piano, and was smart enough to hide for over a decade. Oh, and he was a reporter, that made him sneaky too. "Does your brother have a piano?" Stephanie asked Trina. They could all see when the light turned on in Trina's mind.

She hurried to the front room where the gleaming black lacquered baby grand piano still sat. Trina had polished that beautiful instrument nearly every week since Jeffrey had left. With Ryan's help, she lifted the lid propping it open before leaning over the strings.

Gently lifting the felt lined hammer for the middle 'C' she squealed with her excitement. "Santander," she said holding up a small sticker bearing the red and white symbol of the local bank. "It's a bank over on Main Street."

The group immediately set out. Ranger followed Trina's directions. The bank was downtown, a classic looking building with columns and pediments. It actually looked out of place tucked between Dino's Market and a Metro PCS store. The same logo from Jeffrey's sticker was on the red stripe that ran the entire width of the building.

Stephanie rolled her eyes as a big parking space opened up right as they turned the corner. Ranger was magic that way. She just had to shrug and accept that the parking gods loved him. Trina and Ryan were out of the truck as soon as it stopped. Ranger and Stephanie right behind them. Asking directions, they approached the vault with the safe deposit boxes.

"I'm here to get into my box," Trina told the woman sitting at the desk. She held up the key. The woman nodded and pulled a key from her drawer before standing and asking that only two people enter at a time. Trina was about to argue, but the stern face that stared back at her stopped any objections.

Ranger motioned to Stephanie, Trina agreed, but she shot Ryan an apologetic look. She hated to leave him out of this too, but it felt right to have Stephanie there. After all, she had asked for her help. Ryan saved her from the conflict that was clearly going on in her mind.

"Go," he said. "We'll be right here."

Trina mouthed the words 'thank you' to him. Grateful for his understanding. His crooked smile lit her heart. "Go," he said again. Stephanie and Trina followed the woman into the tiny room. Within moments Trina was pulling the box from the wall and setting it on the small table in the center of the room.

Her hands smoothed the length of the box and trembled as she lifted the lid. Neither of them expected what they saw sitting there. An old-school flip phone, accompanied by it's charging cord was all there was. "I'll bet that is a burner phone," Stephanie said. At Trina's confused look, she explained. "It has prepaid minutes, and it can't be traced as it is not connected to anyone."

Trina held it in her hands. What if she had found this sooner? What if she had been able to contact Jeffrey all along? Had he just been waiting for her to be smart enough to figure it out? The weight of guilt for not even thinking that such a thing as this could even be possible pulled her mood down.

Stephanie watched the emotions playing on Trina's face and understood what she was going through. "Your brother is lucky that you are so smart," Stephanie said softly. Confusion replaced the guilt. "You kept his secret safe, and knew when to seek help." Trina's face brightened up a little. "Maybe you weren't supposed to use this unless the time was right," Stephanie continued.

Feeling somewhat better. Trina closed the box, sliding it back into place. Jeffrey had left her a way to talk to him, she couldn't wait to call him. As they left the vault she opened the phone, an empty black screen was all she could see. "It's dead," she said. Of course, it was. But she could not hide her disappointment.

Stephanie and Ranger exchanged glances. There was only one place that Trina would be safe making a call on this phone. "Let's go get that thing charged up!" Stephanie said, "I know just the place."

Leading the group back to the truck, Ranger explained that his office was not far away. The logic of going there was immediately clear to both Trina and Ryan. It would take too long to go back to the bakery and get their car so that they could drive all the way home, either to Philadelphia or to Asbury Park. They looked at each other. Finding Jeffrey was urgent, time was not on their side. Ryan nodded first, Trina agreed. "Thank you," she said.

The drive to Haywood was silent. Everyone lost in their own thoughts. It was only a matter of time now, and Jeffrey Phillips fate would be known.

.o0o.o0o.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

He was out there. Well, someone was, and Helen was not at all happy about it. Probably it wasn't Joe Morelli anymore, but there was someone in the ugly sedan parked down the street. Unable to stop herself Helen peeked out of the curtains in the living room. That car had been there all night. No doubt waiting for her mother to arrive home. Which, much to Helen's dismay, had not happened yet... again.

"Oh, Helen." Frank turned in his chair to see his wife nervously standing at the window again. "You saw for yourself that Edna was alright," he stood and pulled Helen toward her favorite chair. The fact that his mother in law felt the need to sneak out of Stephanie's apartment yesterday, without a word to anyone, let him know that she was not ready for things to come back to normal yet.

Probably none of them were ready for Edna's normal, but he had learned long ago to ignore what he could and try to put up with the rest. "She'll be back when she's ready," he said.

Helen nodded absently, worry was still buried deep in the grooves along her forehead. "They're still out there," Helen mumbled. "Watching us."

Her hands gripped the arms of her chair, knuckles white with the tension. "She's in trouble again, Frank," Helen said softly.

Frank was just as worried as his wife about the men keeping watch over their house. Unlike Helen, however, Frank was more concerned about Stephanie. The scene at her apartment was still fresh on his mind. His daughter had to be caught up in another one of her crazy adventures. He was not entirely sure that those guys out there weren't sent here to provide protection. Though, truth be told, he would much rather have Stephanie's friends in the black trucks looking out for his daughter. He knew they would keep her safe.

There had been enough of those friends of hers there with Stephanie and that was the only way he had felt comfortable leaving Stephanie's apartment yesterday. Otherwise, he would have had a serious choice to make.

As it was, he just had to get his wife out of there, back to her own home where she could clean something, or iron or even do some baking to calm down. It had been pineapple upside down cake this time. Stephanie would have loved some of her favorite dessert. Yes, she was going to be sad that she missed out on that.

.o0o.o0o.

Ranger pulled into the private garage under his building. As the gate lowered behind him, a certain pride filled his chest. The security he had designed here was second to none. Glancing into the rearview mirror, he could see that his guests seemed to be impressed. Maybe even a little bit intimidated as they looked around. He almost smiled.

Leading them all to a conference room, Ranger left Stephanie to help Trina set up the phone to charge. In minutes he found Ella and asked if she could help with a little something to comfort his guests. He trusted that, as usual, she would know exactly what to do. The pride of his business extended beyond physical security, while they were in his care, it would help to ease their minds a little too.

Waiting for answers was never easy, but that was exactly what they were going to have to do. Who knew if that phone would even work after all these years. Yes, Ranger thought, Ella would make sure that everyone had a pleasant distraction in the meantime.

Just like magic, it took no time at all for coffee, muffins and a plate of fresh fruit to be brought into the conference room. Ella tipped her head and smiled at Stephanie. The couple sitting next to her nodded their thanks but immediately turned their attention back to the phone sitting on the table.

She hadn't seen a phone that small in years. Her own iPhone was weighing down the pocket in her apron, maybe something smaller wasn't such a bad idea. Ella smiled at the thought. No thank you, she wouldn't go back, she liked what she could do with her phone now. She gave the phone on the table another glance. The green glow of the screen was reflected on the faces that stared at it, and the picture of a battery cell showed that it was barely charging now. Ella understood exactly what was going on, and the anxiety that came with it.

"The muffins just came out of the oven," she said as she moved to the door. "I hope you'll like them,."

Ella disappeared, but her hospitality had done the trick. Trina picked up one of the muffins, blueberry, and tore off a bite. Her eyes charted the progress of the charging battery as she nibbled. Stephanie was happy to notice that both Trina and Ryan seemed a bit calmer, at least for a moment or two.

"Do you think we should try it now?" Trina said suddenly. "It should work if we keep it plugged in, right?"

No one could ignore the urgency to find Jeffrey Phillips, so Stephanie nodded and moved closer to sit down at the end of the table. Ranger came in and took the chair next to hers. Everyone watched as Trina picked up the phone and tentatively pressed the contacts button.

Only one number had been saved. Under the name of _Beachbum._ Tears immediately came to her eyes. All Jeffrey had ever wanted to do as a kid was hang out at the beach. She had started calling him a beach bum back then, a nickname sure, but maybe more of a taunt since he rarely ever got to spend time on the shore because of all their classes and the hours of practicing.

All she wanted in that moment was to hear her brother again, to listen to the teasing in his voice when he chanted _Trina Trina bo bina, banana fana fo fina..._ She drew in a shaky breath. It took her a few tries before her trembling finger finally connected the call.

Trina lifted the phone to her ear. Her eyes widened. Words rushed out on the breath she released from her lungs. "It's ringing!"

.o0o.o0o.

Another forest, another hiding place. Jeffrey had not spent more than twelve hours in any one place for the past few days. He had lost track of where he was, criss-crossing over the invisible border, was he in Wisconsin or in Canada? It did not really matter. If he was found there wouldn't be anyone here to help him anyway.

In the brisk breezes, branches scraped across the top of the camper shell. Jeffrey had only just been able to squeeze his truck in between the trees here, hoping that they would provide him the cover that camping parks never could. His heart pounded in his chest. It had been years since he had felt safe.

From the moment he had made the decision not to send the postcard to Trina, he had been trying to make his way closer to home. If, like he hoped, Trina was trying to find help for him, he felt the need to do as much as he could to get back to New Jersey. Day by day, mile by mile he had been inching his way across the continent. Still, he had so far to go. Time, he instinctively knew, was running out.

Between the drawn shades on the small windows and the shadows of the trees, it was dark inside the camper. Like usual, only the glow of his computer screen provided any light. As he had every day for years, Jeffrey was pounding the keys furiously as he wrote the series of articles that would no doubt either earn him a Pulitzer or be the end of him.

He missed the first ring. Concentrating on the screen, on his work, the sound was a distant annoyance. Another ring, rising in his consciousness, feeling closer. The third ring finally registered and startled Jeffrey. The phone, it was the phone.

Lunging across the small table, he snatched it up from its practically permanent resting place in the compartment of the console. It had been there so long, he had nearly given up any hope that it would ever ring. Still, he had kept it charged, plugging in every time the truck engine was on. How many times had he stared at the small screen, checking to see that it was still on.

His thumb hit the phone, the ringing stopped. "He..hello?" he said, his voice scratchy and hoarse from not using it for days on end. Seconds ticked by, each feeling like an eternity. Anticipation, hope, fear, every single emotion he had tried for years to suppress sprang up nearly choking him.

"Trina...?"

.o0o.o0o.

Once again, Joe Morelli checked in with the officers he had sent out the burg to watch the Plum's house. No action, he was told. Well, except that someone had been constantly peeking out of the curtains. Nope, it was a boring stakeout, with nothing to show for it. Joe disconnected the call and sat back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling.

How hard could it be to find a little old lady that, any other day of the week, would be raising hell at a funeral home or beauty parlor? Frustration turned his face red, he was looking like a fool here. He volunteered for this assignment because he thought it would be easy to find Stephanie's grandmother.

Saved from these depressing thoughts by a tap on his door, Joe straightened in his chair. "What is it Spence?" he said as the younger man pushed the door open a bit more.

"Message came in for you." Spence quickly stepped in to pass a piece of paper to Joe, backing out again before he could ask any questions.

Joe glanced at the short note, nearly jumping out of his chair. ' _Luca Spinelli - Black sedan.'_ That caught his attention. An address was included. Joe grabbed his coat and headed out. If he wondered where the lead had come, it not show in his determined demeanor. He marched right out of the building like he always did, nodding his head here, saying a short word there. A man on a mission.

When he pulled up behind the suspect's car parked in front of the apartment building in Philadelphia, Joe's intention had been to apprehend Spinelli and haul him into the station. After all, the man had a list of offenses as long as his arm and that was all he needed to arrest him.

However, when he saw the car lights go on and the car started to pull away from the curb, Morelli decided to follow the car to see if Spinelli would lead him to the larger prey, his father. If he was lucky, Sal would be out again, in public, where Joe could actually get to him. Yeah, it was a risk, but why not? He had Luca in his sights. No matter what he would take in the younger Spinelli. It couldn't hurt to cast the net wider before he pulled in the fish.

To his surprise, Joe followed the black car back to Trenton, all the way downtown to State Street. What was Spinelli doing here? City Hall was the last place he would have expected to end up. Though the shiny black car pulled into the parking lot, Joe waited at the curb, halfway hidden behind a large black truck. He wanted to see if Spinelli got out of the car before he made any move.

He didn't have to wait for long for his answer. Luca did not move, only after a few minutes two men came out of the building and headed straight for Spinelli's car. Once they got in, the car left the parking lot. Ready to keep following, Joe had just started to pull around the truck in front of him when the truck also moved. That was perfect, keeping a few cars between them was exactly what he needed to remain unnoticed.

They all continued this way for over an hour. Joe kept the truck between him and the sedan, right up until Spinelli slowed to make a sharp turn to the right. The black truck continued on leaving Morelli directly behind Spinelli's car. No other traffic was around, and Joe knew it would be much too obvious if he made the turn too and continued to follow.

Trying to get his bearings, Morelli took the next turn off, following the road back to where Spinelli must have been going. Clumps of trees became thicker along this road until that was all he could see. He almost missed the tiny dirt road and the weather-worn sign pointing to DOD lake. Realization hit. Morelli knew this area.

The marshlands of Delaware Bay were spread out along the river, deep waters churned under the still looking surface making it a favorite dumping ground for the mob. Bodies thrown into the bay were pulled under and taken far away into the depths. Joe felt sick. DOD Lake was like a shortcut. The lazy man's version of the bay.

Someone was in trouble if Spinelli came all the way down here. Was it one of the guys he had seen getting into the car outside of city hall? Joe knew that he had to do something, but here he was without back up, and too far away to call for anyone now.

Still, he pulled his car into a stand of trees and got out, making his way to where he figured Spinelli must have turned off of the road. It didn't take long before several voices led him right to the black car. Luca was standing next to the car, holding the door open while someone was being pulled out of the back seat.

"Hurry," he was saying. Whatever was happening, Luca Spinelli was not happy about being here.

"We should wait." Joe heard the other guy say. "He said he'd be here."

Shaking his head, Luca was about to make his opinion known when they heard the other car. His shoulders drooped in resignation. They waited until another car with tinted windows pulled up next to Luca's car.

Joe watched from his hiding place in the trees. The doors opened and two large men got out of the car. One of them acted like a chauffeur, pulling the back door open. When Sal Spinelli got out, Joe almost gasped.

After a year of waiting, watching, here they were. He had the Spinellis in his sights and there was nothing he could do about it. Joe was outnumbered five to one. The man they had dragged out of Luca's car would be no help, he was cowering on the ground, crying, sputtering out unintelligible words. No, he would not help.

Even filled with his Italian bravado, Morelli knew the odds were against him surviving any confrontation with these men. Why didn't he think of calling in back up? He could kick himself. Still, he was a cop. What was he going to do, let the Spinellis get away? No.

He moved to stand up when Joe felt a hand grab his arm. Before he could protest, someone spun him around. "Shhhh," it was more of a motion than a sound. And Joe instantly understood. This gigantic man dressed in black was the last person he expected to see. However, to say that he glad he was here would be a massive understatement.

RangeMan often assisted the police, whether Morelli liked to admit it or not, Ranger's company was a huge asset to the police department and to Trenton. He watched in awe as three more of Ranger's men joined them. The odds, it seemed had almost evened out.

He was not about to question why they were here, even though in the back of his mind he knew that they must have been following him, or they had a tail on Spinelli. It didn't matter. They were here now, and there was no time to lose. Joe tipped his head in the direction of Spinelli and his goons. Four heads nodded their agreement.

They spread out, and in exactly thirty seconds all five of them approached Spinelli and his men. Fighting back turned out to be futile for the mobsters and another half a minute later the only man left somewhat standing was the guy in the crumbled suit. He lifted his head after the fighting noises had stopped, his face registering both shock and relief. He knew how close he had come to becoming fish food and never to be heard from again.

The men in black loaded up Sal and Luca and their men while Joe found out that he had just saved the mayor's assistant from the vanishing act the mob had planned for him. Morelli was certain that there was a lot more to this story than what he was being told, but there was time to sort it all out later.

.o0o.o0o.

Tears glistened in her eyes, Ryan watched his wife fight to regain her composure. "Jeffrey," she whispered. "Jeff..." a bit louder now. "Where are you?"

Ryan slipped his hand in hers, again a show of his support. Tears freely dripped down her cheeks as she looked up at him and gave him a small smile. Her soft voice carried to every person in the room. Deep emotions delivered with every word, every breath. She could not believe that after all of these years it was happening. She was finally hearing his voice again.

After a few minutes, Trina remembered to put the phone on speaker. Ranger got out his own phone and sent off a text. It chimed a moment later and he stepped out into the hall. "Eric, man, where are you?" he asked when the call he made connected with more static than he had expected.

He listened intently, comparing what Eric told him about his present location at the border to what Jeffrey Phillips had been saying. It only took a moment to realize that his friend was just a few miles away from Bay Mills at the edge of the Sault St Marie State forest.

Neither man believed in coincidences. During the silent pause, both of them worked out details in their minds. "Give him my number," Eric finally said. "When he contacts me we'll work out a meeting place." Ranger agreed, and after another pause, Eric finished their conversation. "I'll bring him home, but Ranger, we both know he's going to need a safe place to stay for a while."

Again Ranger couldn't agree more. "Just get him here," he said. "We'll take care of the rest."


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Lula was prone on the bed, acting dead. Actually, she was trying to get in a nap, fatigue and her emotions had completely drained her of all of her energy. Sleep was the only remedy. Except that she could not seem to get any. Every time she closed her eyes, guilt and worry played in the scenes she saw inside of her eyelids.

To her right, Edna was also trying to pretend that she could get some rest. Both of them knew that it was futile. Speaking to her granddaughter was the only way that Edna was going to get any respite. But she didn't even know where Stephanie was.

Finally, Edna got the idea to talk to the efficient and very kind woman that had helped them when they got here. Ella. Edna sat up, she looked around the small bedroom. No phone in here. She walked out to the front room. Sure enough, there was a phone hanging on the wall. It looked to be a network kind of deal for the building, and when she picked up the receiver she got a message directing her to choose the person she wanted to talk to. Perfect.

Ella answered right away. "How can I help you?" she asked. Edna told her that she was looking for Stephanie, wondering if she knew where she might be. Ella was again quick to respond. "They are in the conference room on five," she said, "Would you like me to send her down to you?"

"Oh no," Edna said. She didn't want to inconvenience Ella or interrupt Stephanie for that matter. "I can talk to her later when she has a minute." Even as she said the words, Edna knew that she did not want to wait. Couldn't wait to tell Stephanie what was bothering her.

Ella did not respond immediately, sensing the conflict Edna was feeling. "Tell you what," Ella said, her voice calm and reassuring. "We can take a little tour of the building again, just walk by and see how Stephanie is doing.

Yes, that would be okay, Edna agreed and was surprised to hear the knock on the door almost the second she hung up the phone. As she moved toward the door, Lula, who had also heard the knock came out to join her.

Ella stood in the hall, she held up her phone with a sheepish grin. "I was just down the hall getting another apartment under control when you called." she slipped the phone into her pocket and stepped back, "You ready to go?"

"We are going for a little walk," Edna told Lula, pulling her along with her. "I think we can find Stephanie," her words were pointed and held meaning. Lula nodded. It would be good to get this over with, but she was still worried about what everyone would think about them. Mistaking two notorious mob guys for impromptu dates was just stupid. And reckless, not to mention dangerous.

"Let's get this done," Lula said under her breath. Edna heard the sentiments and agreed with a nod.

.o0o.o0o.

Stephanie knew that waiting was always the hardest thing. Trina and her husband were doing the best they could under the circumstances. Trina must be going crazy inside, even though outwardly, the only indication that she was getting antsy was the way she was wringing her hands, alternately tangling her fingers with Ryan's.

It had to be torture, Jeffrey was out there, he was alive and could finally come home, but Trina still had no idea how long it was going to take before she could see him again. Stephanie knew how she felt. Knew how it made her feel when Ranger was gone, and that was only six or eight or twelve months, nothing compared to years. But the not knowing, the fear, the worry, it was real, and it never went away.

There really were no words to say, nothing that Stephanie could think of that would help Trina right now, so they all sat in silence. Picking at the food Ella had brought in, Trina and Ryan were both doing the best they could. All of them wished they could fast forward to the moment when the waiting would be over.

Ranger stepped back into the room, he had been taking calls, making calls, arranging things. He was good at that and Stephanie felt that warmth in her heart that he was doing all this for her. Because of her. The realization that he was always by her side no matter what kind of situation she got herself into was a powerful reminder. He was not just her friend, Ranger had proved that to her time and time again.

Her eyes must have shown what she was thinking because Ranger gave her one of his megawatt smiles and held his hand out to her. After excusing themselves, he took her out into the hall and pulled her into his arms. "How are you holding up?" he asked, his lips at her ear, his words full of tenderness.

Stephanie melted into his embrace, her own arms snaking around his waist, holding on tight. "Thank you," she said. Her emotions were right at the surface. "Thank you," she repeated. These were the only words she could say, and she just hoped that he knew how much she meant them.

Again, as if he knew what she was thinking, he held her closer. "It won't be much longer now, we are bringing Phillips home."

He had wanted to share all of the details that were being worked out, tell her everything that Eric was doing to get to Jeffrey Phillips, but he was suddenly aware that she didn't need any of that. Ranger felt humbled all over again, just like he had after that first call when she had asked for his help with that mystery box. Stephanie trusted him. She could ask because she knew he would be there for her and it was all she needed to know.

Eventually, he knew, she would ask about all of the details, she did want to know, did want to help out in any way that she could. But for now, it was enough for both of them to hold each other. He never wanted this moment to end.

A noise at the end of the hallway, however, pulled him away. It was Ella and with her was Stephanie's grandmother and that friend. Lula, after a beat he came up with the name. It looked like they wanted something. Most likely, it was Stephanie that they needed, so he reluctantly loosened his arms shifting so that Stephanie could see who was standing there.

"Oh," Stephanie was surprised. She looked up at Ranger. Their quiet moment was over, but by the intensity she could see in his eyes, she knew that it was only a temporary separation. They would have many more moments to share. Just the two of them. Her heart pounded, her face flushed. It was all she could do to move away from him so that she could see what her grandmother needed. "I need..." she started to say.

The grin he gave her now was wicked. "I need..." he said in return. No more words were required to get that meaning across. Stephanie kissed his cheek. "Okay," she breathed out. "Okay."

.o0o.o0o.

It was so much more than he should ask for, but Ranger knew that Eric was his only recourse. That his friend was positioned to be the one to get to Phillips was only part of the equation. Ranger had no doubt that Eric would also feel the need to assist. This was a reflection on his office. In a roundabout way, Eric needed to show that Mac had not become the man that everyone, including himself, would come to despise. If his involvement with the mayor, with Gallo was ever discovered, it would be the end of his career, and that, Eric knew was a death sentence to his boss.

Whatever it was that had led him to divulge the information about Phillips, that was so critical, had to be serious. Eric did not want to think the worst, but it had to be bad to come to this. No amount of speculation would help now, so Eric resolved to talk to Mac one more time before he let anyone know what he had found.

His focus now was on getting to Jeffrey Phillips. Ranger had put him in contact with the man's sister. Funny, during their conversation he got the distinct impression that she was vetting him. What would have happened, he wondered, if she had deemed him unworthy of helping her get her brother home. The thought made him laugh. He knew better than most that you can never be too careful.

If her scrutiny of him was a bit offensive at first, he had to admire that Trina Murphy wanted to know for herself that she could trust him. Another chuckle knowing that Ranger had probably gone through the same treatment. Men of valor and courage rarely had to go through this kind of examination to determine their intentions. Most people were too grateful for their help to wonder about why.

It was okay, nothing was going to shake him off of the mission at this point. Too much was riding on this rescue. For him, for her, and for Phillips. The repercussions, he knew would be coming. Aside from all that, this man had the right to live his life without being in constant fear.

Eric knew as much as he could at this point. Now he had to wait. According to the plan he made with the man's sister, Eric would be receiving a call from him. She was thorough, explaining that she was the only one that could call Jeffrey directly. Even though she had given Eric the number she had for her brother, she was explicit in explaining that it was only so that he could identify the call when it came.

Safe, Eric acknowledged, and smart. He liked Trina Murphy, she had guts and a whole lot of style. But the waiting was going to drive him crazy. His last mission was all cleaned up by now, men in jail, reports written, bags packed. If Ranger hadn't called him when he did, Eric would have already been heading home.

But here he was, who knows how far away from Jeffrey Phillips.

Waiting.

And then the phone in his hand buzzed.

"Hello?"

.o0o.o0o.

A series of locks clicked before the door at the end of the hall opened. Arnie slipped quietly from his cot and took cover behind the pony wall near the metal commode. Call it impulse, call it fear, call it whatever you like, he was not going to be seen down here. He was good at hiding when he needed to, his survival instincts always kicked in automatically, and today was no exception.

Huddled down low, Arnie listened carefully. He recognized the heavy, yet muffled steps of the guys from RangeMan which he attributed to the thick soles of their boots, but the other sounds left him cold. The sharp snap of leather soled shoes, Italian made he was sure, was very distinct. Arnie knew who wore those kinds of expensive footwear, and he was even more convinced than ever that he could not be seen here.

Then he heard them, the accent, the arrogance, it was the Spinelli's, and boy oh boy were they angry. Arnie could not help the grin that spread on his face. Tucked safely out of sight, he could gloat a little knowing that these mob bosses were being detained against their will. Disrespected even. Arnie tried not to laugh. He didn't like the Spinelli's. Not at all. It had only taken one experience working with them to teach him that he never wanted to do that again.

"You don't know what you have done," the elder Spinelli spat the words out with his sharp accent.

"Yeah," Spinelli the younger chimed in. "This is the last mistake you will ever make."

"Shut up!" it was Officer Joe Morelli, Arnie would recognize that voice anywhere, and it was evident that the cop was tired of the nonstop garbage being spewed by these two. The footsteps passed by Arnie's cell and continued down to the end of the hall. Anrie could picture where they were headed. All the cells were lined up on the right side of this corridor, Arnie had scoped out the setup when they escorted him in here yesterday. Probably there were five or six of the same size rooms, and now it looked like they were all going to be filled up.

Metal on metal scraped and clanged as the door with bars was first opened to let the men in, and closed again locking in the unwilling guests. Still, Arnie could clearly hear the continued threats and constant streams of profanities that the Spinelli's had to offer.

What he could not hear, however, was Mayor Holmes. The man must have finally passed out. What with a hangover and the physical exertion of screaming and pounding on the walls, he must have worn himself out. Arnie wondered if the Spinelli's had noticed that Holmes was in here. They were all good friends. Well, at least they worked together a lot. Arnie didn't think that Holmes actually had any real friends. And come to think of it, neither did the Spinellis

The footsteps started back down the hall. Arnie was still in his hiding place, he could wait until they all got to the elevators before he came out. "C'mon, C'mon," he whispered, trying to hurry them up, his legs were getting cramped kneeling here.

He was holding his breath when they got near, Arnie was not entirely sure that he wanted Officer Morelli to see him either. Inevitably, they'd had their fair share of run-ins at the station over the years. And Arnie didn't think that Morelli liked him all they much. Best to avoid the whole situation.

But the steps stopped. Very close to his door. Arnie shook his head as if that could stop his worst nightmare from happening. His heart sank when the code on the keypad rang out and the rasp of his door opening reached his ears.

Slowly he stood. One of the guys in black entered the small cell, the other stayed in the hall with Morelli. _"Don't do it, don't say anything!"_ Arnie silently willed the men into silence. He was motioned forward, and as he complied, Arnie realized that it worked. They were not saying a single word as they led him out of the cell and down to the elevators.

Could they tell how grateful he was for their silence, he wondered. Several long moments passed as everyone entered the elevator and waited for the doors to close. Finally, Arnie took a deep breath. What was going to happen now?

"Well, Arnie," it was Joe Morelli who spoke first. "Looks like you just got a 'get out of jail free' card."

Arnie turned to face the cop. The look in his eyes was no longer gratitude, he was terrified. He couldn't go out there now. What if someone knew he had been here, what if they knew who was down in the basement cells now. This was bad, very bad.

Reading his expressions, Tank shook his head. "Not to worry man," his deep voice penetrating Arnie's skull. "We've got some questions for you, you aren't going anywhere just yet."

.o0o.o0o.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

.o0o.o0o.

Jeffrey was staring at the phone in his hands long after his call with Trina. Hearing her voice had stirred up memories and emotions that now filled his mind and heart. How he wanted to go home, but how could he have promised his sister that he would see her soon.

He knew better than anyone that it still might be impossible. Nothing had changed, not really. In fact, it was much worse today than when he left. And now Trina was involved. This was all his fault. He would never have pulled her into all of this if he had not been convinced that it was the only way to get home. Still, he would always wonder if he had any right to mess up his sister's life so much.

None of his feelings and worries changed the fact that he was being followed, they had found him. That they had never stopped looking for him, after all these years, could only mean that the mob had twelve years of anger and frustration building up day by day. Jeffrey knew that he was the main source of that pain.

Pride swelled in his chest, another emotion that he had buried long ago. Now, however, he knew he could be justified in what he had done. Their reaction meant that he had been on the right track all along. His investigation into the drug wars had only been the tip of the iceberg, he knew that now, and all the information he had gathered since the beginning of this odyssey led him in directions he had never even imagined.

What he had to share through his series of articles, that was almost finished, would no doubt bring down chunks of the drug operations in New Jersey. That was only the beginning. What would people say when they realized just how deep the mob influence actually was. He couldn't wait. No longer would he have to hide his story. More than a dozen years of research gave him even more confidence in the power of the press. His power.

This was his dream, and he had certainly paid the price. All he had to do now was make it back home. Slowly his finger punched out the number that Trina had given him. His heart pounded, he was sure it could be heard outside of his dark little hiding place. Fear nearly choked him, he had to trust that Trina was right. After all, he had involved her for this very reason, she was the only one who could find someone to help. Jeffrey himself had stopped trusting people long ago, especially the ones in law enforcement. He had seen how many of them had been bought and paid for by the mob.

Now here he was, putting his life in the hands of a man who he had never met, a man who represented exactly who he had been running from for years. Jeffrey closed his eyes, _Trina I hope you are right!_

The call connected, Jeffrey held his breath.

"Hello?"

"Umm... this is Jeffrey Phillips. Eric Matheny?"

"Nice to meet you, Jeffrey, would you like to come home?"

.o0o.o0o.

Seeing the loving scene down the hall, Edna froze. Lula nearly bumped into her, but Ella continued walking, stopping after a few steps to turn and look behind her. With her feet glued to the floor, Edna tried to take a deep breath. Once again she felt she had no right to mess up her granddaughter's life. But that ship had already sailed, she already involved Stephanie, the moment she had shown up at her doorstep. A silent fight was taking place in her brain.

On the one hand, she still needed to talk to Stephanie, someone needed to know what had happened the other night. No matter how foolish she felt about it, Sal Spinelli was a bad guy. Charming and handsome sure, she had to admit, much to her own dismay. A mobster. She wasn't about to forget what that meant.

But, on the other hand, her granddaughter had been sharing a private moment with the man she had been in love with for years. Oh, yes, Edna knew that Stephanie had fallen for her man in black the moment she met him. It had just taken a really long time for her, and him she added, to figure out that they were meant to be together.

And here she was busting in on them. Edna couldn't feel any worse than she did right now. Stephanie deserved more than to have to leave the arms of the man she loved just because her silly grandmother had found trouble again. Spectacularly, this time.

Stephanie was hurrying down the hall toward her now. The look on her face showed that she was concerned, worried. Great. Edna wanted to kick herself, she had done it again. This last-minute hesitation had only served to scare everyone. She needed to stop doing things like this.

Finally, her legs allowed her to move and Edna hurried past Ella, Lula right behind her. When she reached Stephanie, Edna took her hand. "Is there somewhere we can talk?" she asked quietly.

Stephanie's faced flashed confusion, but she nodded, patting the hand that held hers. Her eyes first found Ella's and then Ranger's. Ella would know where they could go, and she suddenly felt that Ranger needed to be there too.

Ranger caught the question in her eyes, and he quickly followed the ladies who were now being led back down the hall to the smaller conference room. He did not know what was going on, but he did know that Stephanie needed him. That was all he had to know.

Once they were all in the room and the door was closed, Edna did not waste any time. "I've got to tell you about the other night," she said quickly. Then noticing that they were all still standing, she waved her hands. "Sit," she said, pulling out a chair. "Sit."

Ranger helped Stephanie, taking the chair next to hers. Lula was the last to sit, making a commotion as her chair bumped up against the table. Pink infused her dark complexion when they all turned to look at her. "Sorry," she mumbled. Her hands were now clasped together on the table in front of her. Ignoring everyone to hide her embarrassment, she looked pointedly at Edna.

All eyes were on Edna now and she began to talk. Throughout the whole explanation, Edna only looked at Stephanie. Part of her was pleading with her granddaughter to understand that she had never intended to bring all of this trouble to her door. Showing up at Stephanie's had been a rookie error. But she had a hard time regretting it entirely.

After all, the timing couldn't have been better. Stephanie needed help with her mystery box, and all she had waiting for her at home was another lecture from Helen.

Helen. Oh dear. Edna felt sick all over again. How was she going to face her daughter?

.o0o.o0o.

If he had not been before, Joe Morelli now found himself impressed with the setup here at RangeMan. Granted, he had not had the opportunity to come into this building much. Most of his dealings with Ranger and his men were out on the street or at the police station. And, if he was being honest with himself, he did not want to be impressed with anything Ranger related.

That was still a sore spot for him, and as soon as the thought passed through his mind, he tried to shake it off. Deep down he knew that with his history with Stephanie, a relationship – marriage – was never going to happen. He may have been fascinated by her, and maybe he had once entertained the idea, but they had never been right for each other. Even though he could admit that to himself now, it was just so damned hard to let her go.

Momentarily distracted by his thoughts, Joe had to pull his focus back to the room they were now entering. It was a whole apartment, right here in the building. Who knew? Again, he could not help but be impressed. This time it did not rankle. He just took in all the details, like the detective that he was. Back to the reason that he was here.

Tank led Arnie to the couch in the small living room. Hector and Joe followed right behind. As they all found places to sit, Joe noticed the platter of food on the coffee table. Bottles of water were set out in a row next to it. Impressed again.

Hector took the lead now, reaching out and tossing the bottles to everyone. He nodded toward the food, an invitation. Neither Hector nor Tank were surprised that there was this spread waiting for them. Ella knew everything that went on at RangeMan and she made sure that every detail was perfect. Far from taking it for granted, they appreciated her amazing abilities. They each grabbed a sandwich and sat back.

Joe lifted his bottle in a salute and leaned forward. No sense wasting the generous hospitality. In an uncharacteristic move, he handed a sandwich to Arnie before taking one for himself. Yeah, he could admit that he was not one for etiquette or good manners, but it felt like a good idea to set Arnie's mind at ease, at least about having a cop here with him. What else the man was freaked out about was his business.

In his deep voice, Tank started the conversation that they were here to have. Joe sat back, he was an observer now and he was going to enjoy the show. A bite of the best sub he had ever eaten and he was ready to watch the men in black work. He had seen them in action before. They were good at apprehending and subduing perpetrators, now he could see how they were at interrogation.

Funny, he mused. When he woke up this morning Joe had no idea how his day was going to turn out. Frustration over the Spinellis had been with him so long it had become his new normal. Just like standing in the captain's office without any new information about them had become a reoccurring nightmare for him.

Now, all of a sudden, he was working with RangeMan, the Spinelli's were in custody, answers were just a few questions away. The huge man named Tank was good. His size was his intimidation, Joe appreciated how that could work to his advantage, the man didn't push it, he didn't have to. His voice was low, almost soft. He had a gentle way about him that was in direct contrast to his hulking size. Amazing. Then Joe heard something that grabbed his attention.

Jeffrey Phillips. There was that name again. Joe searched his memory. He had heard the name earlier that day and even then he had the feeling that he was supposed to know it. Now given a moment to think about it, he did remember. Wasn't he a teacher at his high school? Why was everyone talking about Mr. Phillips?

.o0o.o0o.

"Your sister wants you back home," the man said. Jeffrey nearly sobbed. No words had ever sounded as good. "I can help you get there," he was saying. "All I need is to know where you are."

Jeffrey felt the familiar fear growing deep in his gut. Did he trust this man enough to tell him where he was? Heck, could he even do it? He had moved around so much he wasn't exactly sure anymore. The war between hope and self-preservation continued. Logic told him that he had started this by bringing Trina into it. He had to trust that she knew what she was doing when she sent Matheny to him.

But what if someone was tricking her? Jeffrey would not put it past his enemies in the mob or even in the police department to play her like that.

"Mr. Phillips," the man said. "I am located just outside of a place called Brimley," he said. " I understand that you are close to the border as well."

The man hesitated, just long enough, Jeffrey knew, to let him work out the locations and decide on an answer. Smart. Jeffrey was doing exactly that. Brimley was on the US side of the border. From his own calculations, Jeffrey was less than twenty miles away. Sault Ste Marie was the closest town to where he was hiding, it was on the Canadian side of the inlet from Lake Superior. A lot of water and forest was between them.

Jeffrey remained silent as he worked through the map in his head. He could go into the city and meet up at some cafe or park or something, but that required leaving his hiding place. He did not feel safe enough to do that. This Matheny guy was not the only one looking for him, the moment he left the safety of the forest they could spot him and it might be all over.

He had to make a decision. And he was going to have to trust that Trina knew what she was doing. He sucked in a deep breath. Then, grabbing his computer, he made one last search before answering. This time when he spoke, it was to give the coordinates to where he was.

"Will that work?" he asked.

On the other end of the line, the man did not hesitate. "I should be there within the hour, so sit tight," he said. "Oh, and you'll know it's me because I will identify myself with a password given to me by your sister."

In that moment, Jeffrey knew he was going to be okay. Trina had mentioned this. He should never have doubted that she knew what she was doing by sending this guy to take him home. The added security of having this password now set his mind at ease.

"I'll be ready," Jeffrey said. As he disconnected the call, he sat back and looked around the small space that had been his home for so long. There were no regrets, he was glad to leave this camper, this life behind. It was hard to believe that this was finally happening. Home. He was going home.

He sat there, remembering, hoping, wishing. There was so much he needed to do when he got back to Trenton. For years he had imagined how it would be, in fact, he had a whole list of things to do - starting with a visit to his old editor. This was not over yet. And Jeffrey was not foolish enough to think that it would be any time soon.

Finally, he shook off his thoughts and stood. It would only take a few minutes to gather everything that he needed. After changing into some clean clothes and grabbing a bite to eat, Jeffrey finished packing. His whole life, twelve years stuffed into a backpack.

.o0o.o0o.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

.o0o.o0o.

A janitor by trade, Carl volunteered his time and talents to keep the VFW building clean and tidy. He actually loved coming in each week spending as much time as he could chatting with the gentlemen who frequented the gathering room as he did his job.

A vet from Vietnam, Carl told his fair share of stories. It was always a great time. Pushing open the door, he glanced at the circle of chairs in the center of the room. No one was here, Carl checked his watch, comparing it to the clock on the wall. It was early yet, and that would give him time to get some work done before any of them arrived.

His job today was some general cleanup. He could see that the garbage can by the door was full. Carefully lifting out the trash bag, Carl was surprised at what he found. Smashed beer cans and empty boxes of doughnuts, not the usual candy wrappers and plastic cups. There was a story here and he couldn't wait to hear what the guys had to say.

By the time he had dumped the garbage and swept the floors, the elderly gentlemen began to arrive. Carl was putting away the brooms when Mr. Hrenko passed by. "Hey, coach," Carl said with a smile, returning the salute that Hrenko gave him.

"See you inside," Mr. Hrenko said. He knew the routine and it was always nice to have some new faces join the group from time to time. Of course, the stories were always the same. The jokes too. But that was okay. They all shared a history and experiences that not everyone could even imagine. And while they didn't talk about most of those times, it was just nice to know they were understood.

"Looks like I missed a party here," Carl said as he walked in to join the group. He was greeted with several smiling faces.

"Yes, indeed!" This was Mr. Black who answered. Carl took a seat and leaned forward in anticipation of hearing the story that went along with the grin on the man's face.

"Do tell!" Carl encouraged. He could tell that everyone was excited to have something new to talk about this morning.

Lenny's visit with the treats was recounted in detail, each of the men adding their own perspective to the conversation about Mr. Phillips. Before they got to the part about nearly going into a sugar coma with the doughnuts and getting tipsy with the beer, Carl surprised them with his own opinion of what could have happened to the music teacher all those years ago.

"The man should've stayed away from Stark street," he said as a matter of fact. "That's what everyone said."

He had the attention of the other men now. Carl felt a bit self-conscious with all their eyes looking at him so intently. "Talk, by the guys who worked the police station, was that he was poking the bear by doing some kind of investigatin'."

Mr. Cudney was nodding, he had said the same thing. Anyone who knew that Jeffrey wanted to be a reporter worried that his ambitions were taking him into dangerous places. It pained him to remember some of the discussions that the two of them had had. Thing was, Jeffrey Phillips was a pretty damn good writer. It had been hard to try to discourage someone with his talents.

If the subject of his investigations happened to be serious and troubling, they were also relevant and important. Didn't we all take risks in our lives when we believed that what we were doing would help people? A question for the ages, and up for discussion again with the group.

"Guess we'll never know," Carl concluded. "Sad that the man died before he could finish his work."

Though the men nodded in a basic agreement with that statement, after Lenny's visit, doubts of his demise had been growing. Whatever happened to Jeffrey Phillips anyway?

.o0o.o0o.

Mary Lou cleared the breakfast dishes, scooting her kids out of the kitchen with instructions to get cleaned up and ready for their outing in the park. She went through the motions of loading the dishwasher, wiping the counters. All the while, her mind was far away, she could not help but wonder about the meeting Stephanie was going to this morning.

At first, she wanted to be there too. It would have been great to see this situation through to its conclusion. Finding the clues to lead them to Mr. Phillip's sister had been so exciting and, quite honestly, exhausting. She loved mysteries, but when they found out that this was all real, the pressure to find answers had completely worn her out.

There was a small part of her that wished her life was more adventurous. A moment when she felt sad that, with her job, Stephanie had one bold and daring day after another. It was just a very small part that wished for all that excitement because the rest of her really did understand that the bigger the dare, the bigger the risk. Too many mishaps had put her friend in danger. Deep down she knew that was not the life she wanted for herself, being a wife, a mom was her dream and she loved it.

But still, Mary Lou could not help but wonder about what she was missing today. Tossing the dishcloth into the sink, she sighed and squared her shoulders. She had done all she could to help Stephanie with this big mystery, now it was up to her friend to see it through. Plus, she reminded herself, Stephanie had Ranger with her today to watch her back. Everything should be just fine.

"Who's ready to go?" Mary Lou called out, laughing as all of the kids answered at the same time. "Okay, let's go!"

Lenny kissed the kids goodbye, saving a big sloppy kiss for his wife. "Steph's got it under control," he said, reading the look in her eyes. Patting the phone in her pocket, Mary Lou smiled and nodded. Lenny was right. Everything was going to be alright, and if Stephanie needed anything, she was only a call away.

.o0o.o0o.

After Edna had finished explaining, there was a silence in the room that threatened to choke her. She drew in a deep breath and waited. Stephanie had just listened to it all. No questions, no comments. What was she thinking?

Stephanie looked at her grandmother. She had to admit, this was one of the craziest things she had ever heard. Grandma Mazur, dating the mob... who would believe it? No wonder she had been afraid for her mother to find out. Once again, however, her grandmother had played it all wrong by not going home. All it did was make her mother frantic with worry. She would stop at nothing to find out what had been going on.

"You know," Stephanie finally said. "It would probably be a good idea if you called mom now."

Edna nodded, her cheeks pink from her embarrassment. Of course, her granddaughter was right. Helen would be beside herself by now. She owed her an explanation. Though she didn't even know where to start. How could she tell her daughter that she had started a fire, or about being out with someone from the mob?

"Uh," Stephanie looked at Edna. "Probably best if you leave out the part about the mob. Right?"

Edna smiled and grabbed Stephanie's hands. Nodding in agreement, her mind got busy coming up with an alternate version of the story to tell Helen. Stephanie was smart. Maybe it had been a lapse in judgment not to go home, she could admit that. But Edna did not regret it entirely because coming to Stephanie was the best thing she could have done.

Ranger's phone buzzed. He looked at the screen and excused himself. Lula fanned herself as she watched him leave. "Lordy," she said under her breath. But before she could say what a fine specimen of a man he was, Stephanie stopped her with a pointed look.

"I know, I know," Lula said, waving her hand to keep Stephanie from saying anything. "I should've told you everythin' too."

With her perfect timing, Ella walked in just then and suggested that the ladies go back to their quarters so that Edna could call Helen in private.

As they all stood, Stephanie hugged her grandmother. "You don't have to tell mom why, but you'll still have to stay here until we hear what is going on with the Spinelli's. Okay?"

Edna nodded thoughtfully. "Thank you," she said before pulling back and patting Stephanie's cheek. "You know I love you!" She smiled and turned to follow Ella out of the room.

Ranger pulled Stephanie to his side as the ladies left. When she turned to look at him, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "We have the Spinelli's in custody," he said quietly. Stephanie assumed that was what his phone call had been about. "But we don't have to tell them that, just yet."

Stephanie smiled and kissed his cheek. As he always did, Ranger read the situation exactly right. After hearing that Grandma Mazur was okay, her mom could use some time to forget the worry and fear and, of course, to make a big homecoming dinner.

.o0o.o0o.

There was no way Trina could stay here, sitting, waiting. She stood and started pacing the room, wanting to run, knowing she couldn't. She had to act normal, keep up the appearance for anyone to see. Fear, a familiar feeling, was playing with her again. Her mind kept coming up with one scenario after another, each worse than the one before. Though the logic in her brain knew that she could trust Stephanie, and by association, Ranger, the fear made her doubt everything.

What if, she thought, what if she was wrong. It would be the worst form of betrayal for her to tell Jeffrey he was going to be okay if she had, in reality, set him up to be found by the same people he had been hiding from for years. Her feet stopped, she faltered. Did she do the right thing?

Suddenly, she felt her legs wobble. She could feel the iron will, that had served her so well all this time, begin to waver. Just as her hold on her strength was about to let go, Ryan was there beside her, pulling her into his arms. With a sob, Trina clung to him, letting him hold her up.

Many feelings had gone through Ryan's head from the moment Trina had confessed everything. Sure, he was confused, maybe angry, definitely hurt. Why didn't his wife feel that she could trust him? Of course, the answer to that was easy. She wanted to protect him. But in not knowing what she was going through all this time, he had not been able to protect her. He would have protected her. Didn't she know that?

All day he felt like he was little more than a spectator, not really part of what was going on. He was still learning details about his brother in law. The one who everyone thought was dead. Again, he was doused with a cold wave of betrayal. As the hours passed, Ryan had withdrawn, emotionally distancing himself from these feelings. It was the only way he knew how to deal with it all.

When Trina had let go of his hand and stood, it was another blow to him. Now the little comfort he had been able to give her if only through his touch was gone too. All he was left with were these horrible thoughts. His mind pulled him deeper and deeper into the dark abyss of self-pity.

Sitting alone at the table with his head in his hands, Ryan let those thoughts run wild. His mood getting darker as the moments ticked away. Until. What was that? His head jerked up and he swung around in his chair to look at Trina.

She had not said anything, but he had heard her pain. Suddenly, his own little pity party disappeared. That logic in his brain told him that Trina needed him, more now than ever. He stood. She had been strong all these years on her own. He hated that she had done that to protect him, but he loved her for it too.

There it was again. He heard the sharp intake of breath. The sigh. He watched as she swayed just a little. And he knew what to do. Rushing forward he wrapped her in his arms. She had been strong for him, for her brother. Now he could be strong for her. For all of them. He held her tight, feeling her relax, almost sagging in his embrace.

"He's okay," Ryan whispered. "You did it, sweetheart!" He kissed the top of her head. "You found him and he's going to be all right."

For the longest time, they stood like that. Ryan being her strength, whispering words of comfort, of love into her ear. Tears softly dripped from her eyes, dampening his shirt. Neither noticed or cared. The burden Trina had carried alone for so long was no longer hers. He had taken it from her, shared the weight of it and saved her.

Not until this moment did she know just how much he loved her. She thought she knew, she loved him so much too. But this was new, different, stronger. He loved her, in spite of all that she had done, he loved her enough to be here for her now. He was her strength, her rock, her world. The tears she shed were no longer from relief. These were tears of joy. For the man who loved her. For the man she loved.

.o0o.o0o.

Tank may not have been surprised when Ella walked into the office with a tray of food and drinks, but he was always amazed that her timing was perfect every time. He thanked her as she slipped back out of the room. Ella, he smiled to himself, was the best.

Arnie looked at the food and then up at Tank, trying to decide what he thought about all of this. Whatever came next, he knew this had been one of the strangest, and strangely enough, the best experience he had ever had.

He knew about RangeMan, everyone did. But he had never seen the men in action before. Now he had to say, they were amazing. Even though he had been loaded up and handcuffed to the seat in the truck after that incident at the bar, he had not been roughed up or treated badly, like the cops did sometimes.

He looked over at Morelli. Funny, Arnie thought, the cop looked more uncomfortable here than he did. Guess it all depends on your perspective. Arnie shrugged and looked back over at the man he now knew was called Tank.

It looked like the questioning was going to wait until after they had something to eat. Impressed, Arnie eagerly ate the food that was pushed over in front of him. He could wait, there was nowhere in particular that he had to be right now anyway. And, who knows, maybe he could learn a thing or two here that he could add to his arsenal of information.

For a few minutes, everyone ate in silence. Arnie ignored Morelli, for the most part. He was much more interested in what went on here at RangeMan. Keeping his eyes and ears open to pick up any details that he could, Arnie was thoroughly enjoying his meal.

Suddenly, another guy dressed in black poked his head through the door. "Turn on the screen," he said disappearing as quickly as he had appeared.

What was that all about Arnie wondered. Tank picked up a remote from the desk and turned on the flat screen TV on the wall. When the news came on, Arnie did not have to wonder any longer.

.o0o.o0o

Jeffrey Phillips waited in silence. Every sound outside the camper alerted him, made him wonder if his exile was really almost over. Not if I'm dead, he thought, knowing that there was no way he could let his guard down now.

When he heard the steady footsteps, he held his breath. The sun was just setting now, dark shadows stretched over the ground, the perfect conditions for someone to stay hidden in the trees. His anxiety of trusting the wrong person was back, what if this was to be the end of him?

Shaking off the horrible thoughts, Jeffrey concentrated on his breathing. Slow, deep and very quiet, it came naturally to him now and he knew that no one could hear him. He closed his eyes. There was that sound again. Someone was close by.

He moved his hand just enough to peek at his watch. It was time, Matheny could be here by now. Still, Jeffrey was scared to believe that it could be him out there. All of a sudden it just seemed too easy. He could not stop the fear that gripped his heart. After all this time, could it be real? Breathe, Jeff, he thought.

The very slight sound at the door made him freeze. "Beachbum," a voice said just above a whisper.

Relief washed over Jeffrey, and he let out the breath he had been holding. that was Trina's code word. if he hadn't been so tense, he might have laughed out loud, leave it to Trina to choose that. His hand reached out and opened the door just a sliver.

This was it. He slowly pushed the door open and stepped out into the deepening shadows. The man standing there offered his hand and Jeffrey shook it. "Matheny," he said. "It's so nice to meet you!"

"Hey, Phillips," the man answered, "Let's go home."

Eric tipped his head, indicating which way they would be going. In an unspoken agreement, they walked stealthily in silence. Jeffrey listened to the familiar sounds of the night birds and the critters who had kept him company here in the woods. Goodbye and good riddance he thought. He was going home.

By the time they reached Eric's truck, the night had settled in. Jeffrey relaxed just a little bit more, he felt safe in the cover of darkness. That comfort, however, was short-lived. As soon as Eric turned the key, the truck roared into life and bright headlights lit up the forest. No, Jeffrey knew he was not out of the woods yet.

Unexpectedly, he nearly laughed at his own joke. Out of the woods. Ha. And he realized that he did feel safe. For the first time in years, he knew he was safe.

Eric pulled a small phone out of his pocket and handed it to Jeffrey. "Thought you might want to make a quick call," he said.

Though his eyes were on the road and he did not look over at Phillips, Eric could almost feel him smile as he took the phone. "Thanks," Jeffrey said softly.

"Trina?"

.o0o.o0o.

From the moment he arrived at RangeMan, Mayor Holmes had an audience. In fact, each and every word he shouted was being recorded. If he had been sober, maybe he would have thought of that. Of course, any law enforcement entity would need to document everything that was going on within its walls, he would know that. Unfortunately, for Holmes, he was so drunk he did not think any of this through. As a result, his secrets were being screamed out at the top of his lungs.

The men watching the monitors looked at each other. If what they were hearing was true, this was big. Huge. They took some notes, looked up a few things online, made a few calls. A report was soon ready to give to the boss. Unbelievably, the kingpin, the head of all of the mob families in New Jersey had just been compromised.

Yes, Mayor Holmes had been drunk when he got here. A big, belligerent, self-important drunk. The guys on the monitors had experience with all kinds of drunks, part of the job, sometimes. But Holmes was doing more than just usual babbling, he was throwing out threats and a whole lot more.

As incredulous as it seemed, Trenton's mayor not only linked himself and his office to the mob, he backed up his claims. Loudly. When he gave up the location and time of the meeting with the head of the mob families, no one could believe it.

In all actuality, it was totally unbelievable. Everyone knew that Gallo did not like to leave the comforts of his own properties. He especially did not like to come into the city. Why would he risk it now? As easy as it would have been to dismiss everything that Holmes was shouting, that was not the procedure at RangeMan Inc.

Finding Gallo and bringing down his organization was the goal of every law enforcement agency in the state. Now they had the intel to be able to do just that. Ranger was keeping busy with Stephanie, so he assigned Lester to lead the operation to capture Gallo.

.o0o. .o0o. .o0o.

While the mayor's assistant was being hauled off to meet some fish, an angry Gallo was making his way back to Atlantic City. He was not alone. His entourage was being followed. So discreetly, he never knew what was happening and neither did his bodyguards. That would be a mistake they would all be paying for... for the rest of their lives.

Lester and his team could have taken the whole group on their own, but the cells at RangeMan were actually getting too full right now, and they had to be careful about their involvement, so the decision was made to contact the appropriate agencies both from Trenton and Atlantic City. Morelli would have loved to have been part of the impromptu sting operation... if he had known.

His dealings with the Spinelli's seemed like a better use of his time and talents so Ranger had deliberately kept Joe out of that loop. A simple thing to do. If he had other reasons to exclude the cop, no one was going to question him about it.

As far as everyone at RangeMan was concerned, giving Morelli the tips about Luca Spinelli had worked out for the best. The man was happy to have brought in Luca and Sal. He was, even now, gloating as he arranged the transfer of the men to the station. Yep, Joe would be plenty busy and he would not hear anything about the Gallo sting until hours after it happened.

It was Lester's team that kept tabs on Gallo's trek home. Along with Trenton's finest, Lester made arrangements with the local law enforcement, all along the way, to meet the Gallo party long before they made it back home to Atlantic City. The fun would begin at the Pleasantville Toll Plaza.

According to plan, men from Pleasantville and Atlantic City were waiting at the toll booth. No one minded the joint operation. Everyone would benefit from the apprehension of the most ruthless kingpin in generations. They were ready. RangeMan would not be involved in the actual capture. In fact, their involvement was not to be documented at all. It was better for business if they remained off of the mob's radar.

Even with little time to plan the details, the operation was organized and pulled off without a hitch. By the time Gallo and his cars arrived at the toll booth, several officers dressed like attendants and maintenance workers were ready for them. When Gallo's limo passed under the EZPass arches, the men jumped into action, flagging over all six of the cars in the entourage.

Hiding behind the small building next to the toll booth, there were several cops cars that, on queue, immediately came out to block the attempts by Gallo's men to get away. Watching all of this from his vantage point far behind the other cars, Lester waved off the Trenton cops. They sped forward quickly to block the escape route from behind. They were ready to give the protection and firepower that might be needed if Gallo decided he wanted a standoff. Everyone knew he wasn't going to go down easily.

His job was done. Lester's black truck veered off to the side of the road, taking cover behind the overgrown scrub trees. With the commotion of all of their cars being stopped, no one was looking behind anyway, Gallo and his men were focused on the small army of officers that had swarmed their line of vehicles.

Men were moving to surround the expensive cars, guns drawn pointing at the unseen passengers. No doubt the vehicles all had bulletproof glass behind the tinted windows and there was no way to know just how many men were in them. The risk was real and growing by the second. Step by slow calculated step the officers moved closer.

Suddenly all of the car doors flew open. Men jumped out guns blazing as they took cover behind the doors. Some of the officers dived to the ground, those who could ran for cover behind the booths. Fighting until their ammunition ran out appeared to be the strategy that Gallo had chosen. Disappointing. No one had to get hurt. If he would just step out quietly, they could all get on with the inevitable.

Gallo slipped from the sleek black car, letting the distraction of flying bullets mask his escape attempt. Keeping low he headed for the row of bushes growing along the side of the road. Two of his bodyguards, hunched over as they ran beside him, were the only ones to come with him. He was going to lose quite a few good men to this little battle. It irritated him, anger coming to a boil under his skin.

This was not over, not by a long shot. Gallo vowed under his breath to avenge each of his men, just as soon as he could. These cops were going to regret this feeble attempt to put an end to his reign. The noise was deafening behind him. He ran faster, almost to the line of bushes now.

"Going somewhere?" A large man stepped out of the shrubs, standing right in Gallo's path. Gallo tried to maneuver around him, but his momentum had propelled him too fast and he plowed right into the officer. Even if his men had tried to pull Gallo from the grasp of the cop, it would have been no use. This officer was ready for anything they might pull, his weapons included a stun gun and he was not afraid to use it.

As it was, both of his bodyguards tried to run, leaving Gallo behind. An act of cowardice and, for Gallo, reason enough to destroy their lives. But they did not get far, more cops were suddenly there, surrounding them. Now the worst possible scenario had happened. They were caught and would be taken in with Gallo. They would pay for their actions.

Hours later, Lester got a call. His friend from the Trenton PD let him know how it all went down. A play by play that made Les smile. Of course, much of the action had already been on the news. All it took nowadays was someone with a cell phone to broadcast what was happening to the whole world. In this case, six people had stopped to film the events. A lot of footage was taken before the police invited them all to move on.

Bits and pieces of the takedown were patched together and shown over and over in news reports that would continue to draw attention for days, weeks, months to come. Only one guy had been close enough to actually get a look at Gallo. The money shot had been just a brief glimpse, but it was more than enough to identify the most powerful man in the state. If the families ever found out who had filmed Gallo, his life would be over.

They would try, but they would never find the man. The footage had been sent in anonymously. And cops knew how to take care of their own. It would be smarter for the families to look out for their own interests. Gallo was not the only one who had been accidentally betrayed by Mayor Holmes.

The irony, when they finally figured it out, would be that none of this would have happened if it had not been for the man they had been looking for over the past decade. Gallo had been right when he insisted that the reporter was going to cause major problems for them. If it hadn't been for the fact that Holmes had been unsuccessful in finding Phillips, Gallo would not have come to Trenton to finally take care of the problem himself.

Like Spinelli, Gallo was in the habit of spending time on his private properties, safe in the knowledge that warrants would not be issued to allow pesky law enforcement officers to invade his homes. The judges he owned would see to that. Arrogance was the ultimate downfall for all of them. After their year of self-imposed lockdown, the Spinelli's wanted to have some fun. They could outsmart the cops for a midnight outing.

Gallo owned enough of the police force, his downfall was believing that his own presence at the meeting with the families would inspire the mayor and everyone else to find the reporter who had evaded them for so long. Coming out of his luxurious hole, that was his mistake.

But the nosey investigative reporter had to be stopped. It was easy for Gallo to justify his decision. Only a few of his articles had been picked up and published before J P had disappeared, but it had been enough to start damaging his drug operations, first on Stark Street and then spreading out to all of the burgs throughout Trenton.

Everything would have been so much simpler if the man would have sought witness protection when they started threatening him for writing those articles. The problem contained. Business as usual, but no, he ran and as long as he was out there, Gallo knew he could come back and do more damage.

Yes, there were good reasons for his decisions, but Gallo had no one but himself to blame for getting caught.

.o0o.o0o.

It was impossible for Jeffrey not to count down the minutes before he would be with Trina again. On the short drive to the airstrip, Eric had filled him in with all the details of the trip back to Trenton. Outfitted with a camouflage jacket and hat, he was strapped in to a 'jump seat' that had folded down from the side of the helicopter.

Eric had arranged a military transport, a cargo carrier that didn't have any real seats, a minor inconvenience, but not that comfortable. The ride would be relatively short, just over two hours, but there were no other passengers and that made Jeffrey feel a lot better.

Because of the loud engines and the heavy duty headgear they were wearing to protect their ears, there was no way to have any more conversation. Jeffrey had so many questions, but all he could do now was wait and see what happened when they got home.

Trina wanted to go with Ranger and Stephanie to the airport. She wanted to be the first person he saw when arrived, but logic won out and she stayed at RangeMan for Jeffrey's safety and for her own. Ella moved them down from the conference rooms to a newly vacated apartment next door to where Edna and Lula were staying.

Ryan was as surprised as Trina was to see that they had a whole floor full of small apartments right here in the building. Ella gave them the grand tour of the kitchen, with its fully stocked fridge and cupboards, the small sitting room equipped with a flat-screen TV and the bedroom bathroom with its own bathroom. More than adequate for their short visit. Though Trina was not exactly sure just how long their stay was going to be.

Before he left, Ranger explained that Jeffrey was being brought here too, he could be protected until the situation with the mob could be sorted out. She was so grateful that he could do this for her brother. It would kill her if anything happened to him now, it would not be fair, not after all he had been through to stay hidden and safe for so many years.

After Ella left, Ryan pulled Trina close and hugged her tight. "You okay?' he asked.

"Just tired," she started to say. "Tired of waiting." Trina rested her head on his shoulder. "I wish he was here already."

Ryan led her over to the couch. Once again she nestled herself into his embrace. So glad that she no longer had to keep secrets from him. Though she still felt restless, and at times she wanted to get up and pace to get rid of all of her nervous energy, the feel of Ryan's arms around her had never felt so wonderful.

She tracked the clock on the wall as it counted off the minutes. Finally, the phone she kept in her pocket buzzed loudly. She grabbed it and answered as fast as she could. A big grin spread across her face. Trina stood and pulled Ryan up.

"They're here," she whispered to him. "Okay, see you in a minute," she said into the phone.

They would go back up to the conference room. Trina bounced on her heels willing the elevator to go faster. Grabbing his hand, she pulled Ryan along with her as she raced down the hall. They could hear voices, a whole crowd of people seemed to be waiting outside the room she had already spent so much time in today.

And then she was in the doorway. Jeffrey turned when she squealed and held out his arms as she raced over to him. "Trina!" Neither one of them could speak, they just hugged, silent tears mingling as they shared the miracle of finally being together again.

Slowly the world around them came back into focus. Jeffrey lifted his head and looked around. Eric was still here, he was standing next to the man he had introduced to him as Ranger. It had been Ranger and Stephanie that had picked them up at the airstrip. She was next to Ranger, talking to him in low tones.

Jeffrey nodded to Ryan who was hovering close to Trina. Good, he thought, Trina's husband gave off the vibe that he was here to make sure everything was okay with her. She needed that, after all he had put his sister through for so long.

The hall outside the room was crowded, and Jeffrey had no idea who the other people around the room were, but his gut told him that he was safe here, a feeling that he was still getting used to. He smoothed his hand over Trina's head and shoulder. She glanced up and looked at her brother. "Welcome home!" she said, sharing one more smile with him before stepping back.

Jeffrey shook hands with Ryan and motioned to the table. "Looks like we have some work to do," he said, picking up his backpack and taking a seat. Soon the chairs around the table were filled.

Ranger stood at one end and all eyes were on him. "Let me give you an update," he said.

.o0o.o0o.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

In that hour between talking to Eric and leaving his camper for good, Jeffrey made a decision. The series of articles he had been working on could now be released. Pulling the documents up on his computer, Jeffrey opened up the first one and read over it, again. Though he knew it was time to do it, Jeffrey knew that this information was going to ruin some lives.

Pointing the spotlight at the dealings of Mayor Holmes would bring him down, as it should. What he was doing was so much more than wrong. He had to be stopped, and Jeffrey really did not care about the others who had gone along with Holmes and did his dirty work for him, they should all be held accountable for their actions too.

But he knew it would be naive to think that everyone in City Hall was involved or corrupt. It took lots of people to keep the city offices running smoothly. These were good, hard-working people who would never have been privy to his secrets agendas. And these were the people Jeffrey was most concerned about.

His story was going to expose Holmes and his connection to the mob. It was inevitable that everyone around Holmes would be looked at as well. He felt bad about it, but there was nothing he could do. In time, those good people would be found innocent of any wrongdoing. Jeffrey hoped that not too much damage would be done to their worlds in the meantime.

Trepidations aside, Jeffrey was more than ready to start this ball rolling. At last, the results of his investigations could be known. Everything that he had uncovered could finally see the light of day. This was his work of the last fifteen years and he was proud of the depth of his research, as well as the quality of his writing. One click and his name would be out there again. This was still his dream.

Staring at the screen, he drew in a deep breath and blew it slowly out. Nothing more to edit, nothing more to think about. It was time. His finger hit the send button. Within seconds his editor would have it. He closed his computer and stuffed it into his backpack. It had begun.

.o0o.o0o.

In the days following Stephanie's amazing detective work, the newspapers were filled from the first page to the last with stories by and about Jeffrey Phillips. It seemed no one could get enough of the handsome courageous reporter who was providing evidence that Mayor Holmes was one of the many puppets in City Hall that had been controlled by the mob. It was a riveting story, no doubt about that.

Stephanie sat on the couch in Ranger's apartment on the seventh floor. Pages of the Trenton times were scattered on the table and floor around her. She had read each one of the articles. Starting with the ones by Mr. Phillips. She smiled, it was still weird to call him Jeffrey, so J P was a good transition for her.

His telling of the horrifying yet amazing story of secret agendas, mob control, and evil doings, was establishing him as the premier reporter that he had always wanted to be. Stephanie was happy for him. She had been able to get to know him in a whole new way since he was staying here in one of the apartments.

Every day he spent time with the guys, and with Ranger, and that meant that Stephanie had been with them too. She glanced at papers again. J P had spent hours with Ranger and the guys talking about everything from his life on the road to the way he had uncovered some of the mob's connections. Though he did not want to sound conceited about his work, he had encouraged them to read it all to help as they discussed just how bad the problems were not only in Trenton but beyond.

The night Mr. Phillips had come home had been crazy and intense. If Stephanie had thought that finding him for his sister would be the end of her part in this adventure, she would have been very wrong. Stephanie smiled at the thought. She was still trying to catch up on the sleep that she had missed that night but there was no way she would have missed the hours of conversations and discussions that had gone on since then.

She thought back on how Ella, always being the hostess that she was, gently guided the whole group into the break room where she had set out a feast fitting the return of the prodigal son. In her wisdom, Ella knew that everyone would be so much more comfortable in the break room than the same conference room, especially Trina and Ryan who had spent most of their day there waiting. She also knew that good food always helped to open people up and get their words flowing.

They had learned some amazing things that night. Truly horrible and despicable things, but the whole story was truly astonishing. Though Trina and Ryan never left his side, it was Jeffrey who had taken center stage, answering questions and sharing details of the life he had known for over ten years alone on the road.

Picking up the front page, Stephanie attempted to fold it again and stack in on the growing pile. Everything that he had ever written was being published, even his coverage of the drug problems of a decade ago that had been the beginning of his investigation. And she knew that there was so much more to come.

What was especially interesting to her right now, she thought, was that not one single word had been written about her involvement with Trina or J P himself. Ranger had promised her that she would remain as anonymous as RangeMan would be, in regards to the whole Jeffrey Phillips story. After being the subject of way too many news reports, she had been skeptical, but true to his word, there was nothing here.

A wicked grin turned up the corners of her mouth. Who had the real power in Trenton, she thought. Then she glanced up at Ranger as he walked back into the room. He was tucking his phone into his pocket, but he caught the grin.

"What's up Babe?" he asked sliding in next to her on the couch, pulling her close in one fluid motion. From her position now half laying across his chest, Stephanie crossed her arms under her chin and looked into his eyes.

"You were right," she stated. "Nothing about RangeMan or about me in the papers." Her lips grazed his chin. "How did you do that?"

Ranger angled his head to kiss her, a long slow deep kiss that nearly made her forget all about her question, or anything else for that matter. She wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him even closer as she returned the kiss.

Breathless now there were no more words. Somewhere in her mind, she realized that as important as it had been for them both to finally say the words they needed to say to each other, there were other times when no words were needed at all. This, she thought, this was one of those moments.

She never wanted this moment to end. Stephanie rested her head on Ranger's broad chest. Nothing was better than being here with Ranger, that thought had passed through her mind too many times to count lately. It didn't even surprise her to realize that she had not left the building since J P got here.

Tomorrow, however, everything was going to be different. On the one hand, Stephanie was glad that Ranger felt it was safe enough to let Lula and Grandma Mazur go home. It did put her mind at ease to know that the Spinelli's and lots of other members of the mob were now being housed in the jail at the Trenton PD.

On the other hand, J P was also going to be leaving. He would go to his house out in Asbury Park, and though it was not that far away, Stephanie was not happy about it. She was going to miss having him here and listening to the crazy stories he was so good at telling. And she knew it also meant that Trina would not be hanging out as much anymore either.

As much as she wanted to talk Ranger into keeping everyone here for a while longer, it was best to let them get on with their lives. While she was deep into these thoughts, she felt Ranger shift underneath her. Lazily she lifted her head. "You okay?" she asked.

In answer to her question, Ranger gave her one of his million watt smiles. One arm was still draped around her back, and the other reached out to grab something from the table. "I've been thinking," he said. "About you," he quickly added. "I've been thinking about you a lot lately." He kissed her nose. "For a really long time."

Suddenly Stephanie saw something out of the corner of her eye. It was sparkling, Ranger was holding something small and sparkly. She quickly sat up, he did too. When he took her left hand in his, Stephanie forgot how to breathe. "I got this for you," he said, placing a ring on the center of her hand and then curling her fingers over it before she had a chance to get a good look at it. He held her hand closed.

She looked from their hands to his face. "I want you to have it," Ranger said. "Forever, I want you to wear it forever."

"And I need to know," he said, his eyes searching hers for the answer. He saw it.

Tears were flooding the big blue eyes that looked up at him. "Forever," she said, kissing his lips so tenderly. Then she placed her other hand on top of their joined hands. "And ever, and ever and ever.." he stopped the never ending phrase when his lips found hers. But truly, no words had ever sounded so wonderful to him. Ranger's kiss was soft at first, then he deepened it, taking his time to kiss her thoroughly. Passionately.

When they both had to come up for air, Ranger flashed that smile at her again. "Would you like to see it?" he asked mischievously. Their hands were still clasped together. Stephanie grinned as she lifted her hand.

He could have opened his hand with a flourish, a grand gesture befitting the piece of jewelry in her hand but instead, he hesitated. In a reverent manner, almost shy, he took his hand away and let her uncurl her fingers to reveal the heavy platinum setting that wrapped around the biggest diamond she had ever seen. A huge black diamond.

He picked it up and slipped it on her finger. Stephanie was watching his face as he did it. Only when he smiled up at her did she gaze down to see how perfect this ring looked glistening on her hand. "Oh," a whisper, a sigh. "I never... it's... it is so perfect!"

"Forever!"

.o0o.o0o.

 _Two weeks later ~ Chambersburg_

Edna came down the stairs calling out to her daughter. "Helen!" she yelled, "Helen?"

In the front room, Frank rolled his eyes. Everything, it seemed was back to normal. His wife was in the kitchen baking, and his mother in law was as loud and unpredictable as ever. Just when he started to think that he had not missed any of this when she had disappeared for a few days, Frank stopped himself.

Helen had been sick with worry, and even he had become more concerned than he had ever thought he could be over her absence. As crazy and flakey as she was, he had gotten used to the constant fireworks. Truth was, he had missed it. Not that he would ever tell Edna that.

"She's in the kitchen," he yelled, sure to keep the usual edge of annoyance in his voice.

Soon he heard his ladies talking. He had no idea what they were talking about, but it was just so damned comforting to hear the normal chatter again he closed his eyes and let himself enjoy it for a little while.

Helen was pulling a cake out of the oven. "We should have plenty of time for it to cool," she was saying as she set the pineapple upside down cake on the counter. "Stephanie will be here at six o'clock, she said she has something she wanted to show us." Helen turned to look at Edna. "Will your friend be coming too?"

With her head tilted to one side, Edna regarded her daughter. There had been a time, not all that long ago, when Helen would have been annoyed if she had invited any of her friends to dinner. Especially the ones she had gotten into trouble with.

"Yes," she answered, "Lula will be able to make it, but she might be a little bit late."

Helen nodded her head. Edna shook hers. That was new too. Used to be that no one was allowed to be late for dinner. "What?" Helen asked suddenly

Edna jerked her head back. "What, what?" she responded.

"What's that look for?" Helen said. "You were looking at me funny."

"Oh, Helen," Edna said, slipping down off of her chair and coming over to hold Helen's face in her hands. "You do know I love you!"

As Edna walked out of the kitchen, Helen watched her go. Her mother had been different since she came back home. Stephanie had been quick to assure her that she was alright. 'Not in any danger at all' was the way she put it. Somehow that had not been very reassuring at the time, but you know, as she thought about it, Stephanie was right. everyone had gone through a few changes lately. Maybe a little bit worry like they had puts things into perspective.

Helen understood. She had an epiphany herself. Take Joseph Morelli for instance. Seeing him in a new light had shown her that Stephanie had been right, he was not the right man for her. It had taken everything she had to admit that to her daughter. But Stephanie had been graceful in accepting her apology and Helen was grateful for that. Yes, they had all learned a thing or two about each other and that was a good thing.

Edna was a perfect example of that too. Seh had been keeping close to home ever since. Not even a funeral had tempted her to go out at night like she used to. Her thoughts were interrupted when Frank came into the kitchen to get a drink of water. Impulsively, Helen stepped up behind him wrapping her arms around his waist. "Everything's okay," she said. "Isn't it?"

Frank turned and hugged her to him. Always the worrier, he thought, she just needed to enjoy the moments while they were here.

"Yes," he said, kissing her forehead. "Everything's wonderful."

.o0o.o0o.

Just goes to show, Arnie thought, you never can know what is going to happen next. He sat at his new usual booth at the deli down the street from the courthouse. He was on assignment again. This time he was working for only one client. Not even if that Phillips guy came to him, now that he was back, would Anrie be able to do any work for him.

It felt kind of strange to be gathering and delivering information to only one person at a time. Not his normal business model, but with the way he was being compensated, he was willing to try out this new lifestyle. Besides, when he was offered the job, Tank had made it clear that he would never again stay in a cell at RangeMan. He got the message.

A few more notes were added to the tablet he now carried with him everywhere he went. Hector had shown him how to transfer information directly from the pad he wrote on to the RangeMan network. It saved a lot of time this way. No more secret meetings to exchange intel. No more sneaking around worried that the information might fall into the wrong hands. As soon as the messages were sent, they were deleted from the tablet. Slick.

It was time to go, his shift was up now and Arnie tossed some money on the table to cover the tip for his favorite waitress. Just as he stood to leave for the day, something caught his eye. Or rather someone. Arnie slid back into the booth, slumping down a little to stay out of sight.

It had been months since he had seen this man. Arnie had not missed him at all. This was Gallo's bulldog. He was mean and he was tenacious and he was dangerous. With the clean up at city hall and the round-up of known mob members, Arnie had assumed, at least he had hoped that he had been included. It was a logical conclusion, he had not been seen for a very long time. And Arnie would know. That was his gift, his talent to know things.

He hastily scribbled one more note. They were going to want to know about this.

.o0o.o0o.

 _One month after Jeffrey's return to Trenton ~ Philadelphia_

Jeffrey looked down the row. During his stay at RangeMan, he had gotten used to the guys who always wore black. Now, here they all were, seated in the Kimmel Center waiting for Trina's concert to begin and they were still in black.

Who knew they could all look so good in tuxedos? Of course, most of them had chosen the black on black look. Not bad, he nodded at his friends. Not bad at all. The lights dimmed for a moment and came back up, the first signal that the concert was about to begin. Soon everyone was seated. "Here comes mighty mouse," Jeffrey said with a grin at the nickname his sister had for the conductor.

With a tapping of his baton, the musicians stopped tuning their instruments and the low toned chatter of the patrons ended almost abruptly. Yannick Nézet-Séguin turned to face the orchestra, he lifted his arms and the concert began. Music instantly surrounded them, it rose above their heads and filled the hall with magic.

Stephanie spent as much of the concert with her eyes on Jeffrey as she did on Trina. His eyes never left his sister. She was magnificent, the most beautiful and elegant violinist in the whole orchestra. For so long he had felt the unbearable ache in his heart knowing that he was missing her career because of his self-imposed exile. Now her music reached in and filled his heart with so much joy he could barely contain it.

This was a special performance tonight, just for friends and family of the members of the orchestra. Everyone seated here with him was his new family. In another moment of reflection, Jeffrey marveled at how it had all happened. Trina found Stephanie, that was a miracle in and of itself. Then Stephanie came with Ranger and his men, a team that was up to any challenge, even Jeffrey's. The only ones missing tonight were Mary Lou and Lenny.

Stephanie's quirky and wonderful friends, it turns out, had been students at the high school too. Jeffrey didn't remember much from those years of teaching, he had been so focused on trying to be a reporter, it was all he could see. Too late to feel bad about that now, Jeffrey was just happy to count Mary Lou and her husband among his new friends. It was too bad that their kids got sick, they were missing a phenomenal concert.

Another crescendo demanded his attention and Jeffrey's mind returned back to the music. Trina was amazing. She played with such passion, such emotion. Jeffrey was so proud of his sister. All those years of lessons and practice had really paid off for her. She would have had to do it anyway, just like he did, but he could tell that she really loved it. Trina, it turned out, was the musical prodigy that their parents had dreamed about, but they never knew it.

Now he was just so happy to be here. He would never miss another one of her performances. Stephanie wordlessly slipped a tissue into his hand as a tear finally tumbled down his cheek. The first of many. The music was so beautiful, it touched him in a way these same pieces never had when he played them on the piano.

Trina had always felt it, now Jeffrey understood. It had not been his calling to play music as pure and wonderful as this. That was her gift. Finally, he gave himself permission to let go of the guilt he had carried for not being as good as his grandfather, or for that matter, as good as his sister. He could now. Now that he had found his place in the world again.

After the concert Stephanie still watched J P, so did many of the other guests as he ran to Trina and twirled her around in an exuberant hug. She was laughing when put her down. "Jeffrey!" she said, embarrassed a bit, but very pleased. It was so great to have him home again.

"Trina!" Trina and Jeffrey both turned to see who had called out her name. Stephanie felt Ranger tense, and shift his weight. She understood. Ranger and several of his men had placed themselves around the room like a security detail. Though he had not asked for it, and no one had actually discussed it, she had noticed that RangeMan had managed to provide security for Jeffrey every time he was out in public. She smiled. They all took their jobs so seriously, that was always true, but Jeffrey was like one of them now. She couldn't help the burst of pride that warmed her heart.

A woman with volumes of red hair tumbling down her back was approaching Trina, and of course, since he was standing with her, Jeffrey. The men all moved closer. Stephanie's grin widened. It only took a moment for her to see what was going on here. She placed her hand on Ranger's arm, a signal that it was going to be okay.

"Aubrey!" Trina held her hands out to the woman, they air-kissed and Trina made the obligatory introductions to everyone who was standing around them. There were polite smiles and handshakes until Aubrey came to Jeffrey. "Let me introduce you to my brother," Trina was saying. "Aubrey this is Jeffrey." she turned slightly, "And Jeffrey, this is Aubrey..." her words dropped away.

Like Stephanie, Trina had seen the look that passed between her brother and one of her very good friends. A sly grin appeared as she slipped her hand through Ryan's arm. "You should join us, Aubrey," Trina said, looking up at her husband and giving him a big smile. "Shouldn't they Ryan?" she asked sweetly. "You can come up to the apartment for drinks, can't you?"

Without waiting for an answer Trina turned to her brother. "Jeffrey, can you be a doll and make sure Aubrey finds our place, I've got to go put my stuff away." With that, Trina pulled Ryan with her and headed backstage. Jeffrey didn't miss a beat, he held an arm out to the woman he couldn't keep his eyes off of.

"I'd be glad to," he said not looking at Trina or even realizing that she was already gone. "Shall we?" he said gallantly as Aubrey placed her hand on his arm, nodding. Seemed that she had suddenly gone a little bit speechless. He led her out to the parking lot, a few men in gorgeous black tuxes trailing discreetly behind them.

Stephanie slipped her own hand into the crook of Ranger's arm. The black diamond caught the lights and sparkled madly and making Stephanie smile. She leaned into him and whispered into his ear. "Another one bites the dust," she said, chuckling.

Ranger kissed her softly on the lips. He placed his hand over Stephanie's and they followed the crowd. "I know just how he feels," Ranger said, stopping suddenly and pulling Stephanie in for a hug. "You look so beautiful tonight." His eyes said as much as his words did and Stephanie blushed. She had never felt so beautiful.

.o0o.

The moment was shattered suddenly. Gunshots rang out, people were screaming. Ranger tried to keep Stephanie behind him as they rushed out of the building. It could be no coincidence that Jeffrey had just left for the parking lot when the shooting started.

They had been looking for Gallo's enforcer since the day Arnie had alerted them that he was back in town. Word on the street was that he was the one who had been tracking Jeffrey all these years. That he was always a step behind him showed just good Phillips had come at hiding. Ranger's fear had been that the mob would not let this go. They still needed to silence Jeffrey Phillips. Had they been successful tonight?

Voices from his comm told Ranger that it was as bad as he had feared.

"He's down."

"What about the girl?"

"Shooter is behind the van."

"Go, go, go!"

Stephanie saw J P laying on the ground, his new friend had fallen next to him, her satin skirts billowing all around them. "Ranger..." gasping as she ran toward them. He couldn't stop her so he ran with her. "J P," Stephanie whispered as she knelt down beside him. Aubrey looked up at Stephanie, the fear, confusion in her eyes broke Stephanie's heart. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Ranger stood towering over them, he called 911 giving the location, and conditions as he could see them. Blood covered the hands that Stephanie had pressed against Jeffrey's shoulder. Amazingly calm under the circumstances, Stephanie looked at Aubrey. "Are you hurt?" she asked gently. Aubrey slowly shook her head but she never took her eyes off of Jeffrey.

"Will he be okay?" she asked. "Please..." her weak voice trailed off. Stephanie tried to reassure her as best she could, but her own fears kept rising, nearly choking her.

Though his face did not show it, Ranger's emotions were in turmoil. Worry that Stephanie might be in danger was at the top of that list. If this guy wanted to finish the job, nothing would get in his way. There was also a lot of anger. No one should have been able to get through to Jeffrey. He had been shadowed, guarded everywhere he went. The shots had been taken from behind one of the many cars here in the parking lot. He had been lying in wait. Never showing his face. The coward.

He kept his vigilant watch, one hand to his ear, listening to the action as it happened. The bulldog, as he was known in the mob circles, was a tough guy, skilled at the art of making people disappear. Resorting to a shooting in public could only mean that RangerMan was doing its job, but that was no consolation to Ranger and his men. This was the act of a desperate man, he'd had to drop all of his usual tactics because he couldn't get close to Jeffrey.

"Who has the shot?"

"In my sights."

"Too many bystanders."

"I've got it."

Suddenly there were sounds of grunting, punching. Obscenities. Then silence.

"Bring the truck around."

"Boss, we'll keep him here for the cops to pick up."

"How's Phillips?"

Ranger didn't have an answer to that last question. He looked down at Stephanie, blood was everywhere now. He couldn't ask. Jeffrey wasn't moving. No one wanted the answer that it seemed to be.

There were still no answers as the paramedics arrived and whisked him away to the hospital.

.o0o.o0o.

 _Two months later ~ Asbury Park_

Sitting in his old office, Jeffrey was putting the final touches on his latest article. He sat back, rotating his shoulder, an exercise he did often to ease the pain he still felt there. His badge of courage, the guys at the paper called it. Not many of them knew what it felt like to be shot. Those who did understood just how fragile life could be.

Noise in the kitchen reminded Jeffrey that Trina was here again. And he was pretty sure she had brought another dinner to put in the freezer. It was just another excuse to check in on him. He felt that old familiar pang of guilt, he had put her through so much, it really wasn't fair. But she had never given up on him, not once. He smiled.

Trina poked her head into Jeffrey's office. "Is Aubrey coming over again tonight?" she asked. Jeffrey looked up at his sister, he knew full well that was not the innocent question that it appeared to be.

Aubrey had been the other person who had not left his side since the night of the shooting. Stephanie had gleefully told him about Aubrey's all-night vigil at the hospital while he was in surgery. And the long hours she spent there while he was recovering. "I like her JP," Stephanie had told him on more than one occasion. Trina had said the same. That made it unanimous, he liked her too.

He sat back, the old swivel chair creaking with the movement. "Yes," he said simply. "Thought we would take a walk down to the beach."

That was not the innocent answer that it could have been either. Trina had been talking to her friend, and she knew that Aubrey was sure that Jeffrey was ready to pop the question. If it had been anyone else in the whole world, Trina would have thought that it much too soon for that. People needed time to get to know each other, to truly know if they are right together.

Of course, what they had been through helped them get to know each other in a whole different way. Jeffrey's life had been anything but normal, and Trina really did understand that nothing he did now would be normal either. There was no doubt in her mind that he was in love with Aubrey. And fortunately, she knew her friend well enough to know how much she loved Jeffrey too. Sure it had been quick, but after all they had been through, and after missing out on so much in his life, Trina was ready to believe in him and accept that he was in love and he deserved to be happy. Now.

"Okay," she said. "We'll be taking off now, say hi to Aubrey for me."

Jeffrey watched her go. He had a lot on his mind but this time it was not about his recovery, or the next assignment his boss had given him or the fact that instead of working freelance like he had before, he had been hired on at the Trenton Times. He wasn't even thinking about the attorneys he had to meet with, again. His mind was on one thing.

He pulled open the small drawer of his desk and lifted out the false bottom. He had to laugh, Trina knew about that drawer, but still, she had not thought to look there every time she came to visit, even though he knew she was poking around to see if he had bought a ring yet.

Lifting out the velvet box, he replaced the panel and closed the drawer. Once more he opened the box and stared at the rose gold setting and the champagne diamond that sparkled as he turned it this way and that to catch the light. He had known the moment he first saw it that this was the perfect ring for Aubrey.

With a contented sigh, he closed the lid and slipped the box into his pocket. Tonight was the night.

.o0o.

Right before the sun set over the horizon, it shot out a fan of brilliant golden rays. "Oh, it's beautiful!" Aubrey said. "Oh look," she pointed to the sky that had now turned orange.

Jeffrey had it all planned. After the sun disappeared, he would suggest a short walk along the water. He had even scouted out a spot where the dunes rose and provided some privacy. He would kneel on one knee and ask the most important question of his life.

But one look at Aubrey, the light glittering in her eyes and reflecting the red of her hair, all thoughts of his plan evaporated. When she turned to look up at him, he was a goner. Jeffrey placed one hand on the side of her cheek. "Aubrey," she said slowly. His thumb traced the smooth velvet touch of her skin.

Velvet. The word brought back at least part of his plan. He pulled the box from his pocket with his other hand and lifted it up to hand to her. "Aubrey," he said again. She took the box, opened it. The last lights from the sun blazed inside of the diamond, but still, it was not as beautiful as the lights in her eyes. Opened wide and staring at him, she waited. "Will you marry me?" he said.

Finally, he had the presence of mind to take the ring from the box and slide it on the finger she offered to him. "Yes," she said. His eyes lifted to meet hers. "Yes!" she said it again. This time he believed her. She had thrown her arms around his neck hugging tight.

"Oh, good," he said wrapping his arms around her. Aubrey laughed but she did not let go.

"What a way you have with words," she said.

He laughed now too. "The only word that mattered was 'yes'."

Aubrey pulled back, just enough to look into his eyes. "There are three more," she said.

Jeffrey understood immediately. "I love you," he said. "Yes, I love you!"

"Yes," she said again. "Yes!"

.o0o.

From their vantage point a short distance away, two men in black nodded. This had been the most interesting night they had had on watch duty. And they were genuinely happy for Jeffrey.

At first, Jeffrey had known that he had bodyguards. Ranger had insisted and to make Trina happy he had agreed. Now the men were not sure if he knew they were still guarding him. If they did not want to be seen, they knew how to find ways to be invisible. Just like they were tonight.

But what a story they would have to tell when they got back to RangeMan. Stephanie, for one, would want to hear every detail of what they had seen tonight. They wouldn't let her down.

.o0o.o0o.

 _November ~ Trenton_

"They want to get married on Christmas Day?" Ranger looked up from the invitation that had arrived from Jeffrey. His incredulous expression made Stephanie laugh.

"Oh, come on," she said. "It's perfect for them!" She put the rest of the mail on the counter and slipped onto the barstool next to Ranger. "And, it was Aubrey's idea, not Jeffrey's, but he thought it was great!"

"It's in the middle of the week. On Christmas Day," Ranger said.

"And it will be perfect!" Stephanie stated.

Ranger looked down at his left hand. From that night he had placed the ring on Stephanie's hand, he had put this ring on too. His was very similar to hers. Heavy platinum twisted around and circled his finger in a thick band. His symbol to her that he meant what he said. It was forever,

With all the excitement about Jeffrey's wedding, Ranger now wondered if Stephanie also wanted the walk down the aisle. She had told him that night that all she wanted was to be with him. It was what he wanted too. No ceremony would mean more than the vows they had already made to each other.

Now he wondered if that was enough for her. Or for him.

Stephanie noticed how the look on his face had turned all serious. She lifted his hand and kissed the ring on his finger. 'Yes," she said, to his unspoken question. "Yes, it is enough for me."

Taking his other hand as well, she tugged at them, making him look into her face. "And yes," she said firmly. "I will marry you."

The surprise on his face delighted her. She knew what they had talked about. And truly, this ring meant as much to her as a big wedding. His love was all she had ever needed.

"Today, if you want," she said. "At the courthouse, if that works."

.o0o.

When they got home from their trip downtown, Ranger set the frame that held their marriage license on the table in the living room. By his side, Stephanie nodded her approval. If anyone asked they would tell them. This had been for them, for their future family. A big fancy wedding was just not right for them, the rings and the paper were enough.

He took her hands in his. We could leave," he said. She started nodding slowly, contemplating just where they could go.

The more she thought about it, the better the idea sounded.

"We could leave," she repeated his words. "Today if you want."

Once again, they left the apartment hand in hand. Spending some time alone together was exactly what they needed. What better way to start their forever. Today!

.o0o.o0o.o0o.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Another story ended, this part always makes me so sad.

I want to thank all of you for your wonderful reviews and lovely comments.

Knowing you are along for the ride makes the adventure so much more fun for me!

Thank you!

Dreemseeker (Sandra) :)


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